An Unfortunate Romance
by Sebastian's Devil Girl
Summary: In Ba Sing Sae, Zuko meets Rayna, the newest member of team avatar. Rayna doesn't know who Zuko is or his past with team avatar, and Zuko doesn't know that Rayna is apart of team avatar. When they meet, they begin to fall for each other, unaware of the problems to come.
1. Prologue

Rayna is a 16-year-old girl from a small town, known as Zai. Zai was originally an independent village, having no alliance or affiliation with any of the four nations. When Rayna was 6 years old, Fire Nation soldiers came to Zai unannounced. Apparently, the Fire Lord had ordered them to capture Zai and claim it as Fire Nation territory. They then began to raid the village, and start massacring citizens while capturing fire benders. She witnessed her mother and father's brutal deaths, as well as watching her older brother be forcefully taken away by soldiers. Just when Rayna was about to be killed by a soldier, a villager came to her rescue; he punched the soldier away and picked up Rayna, holding her as he ran away. Only Rayna and four other men survived; Morro, the village chief, Saber, a water bender, Zed, an earth bender, and Loch, a fire bender.

Following the attacks, Rayna began intense battle training. Despite being a non-bender, the benders taught her bending moves so she could learn what they would do and how to counter/avoid them. Morro, on the other hand, taught Rayna the art of patience and observing her targets movements before striking.

Flash forward a few years, team avatar made camp near Rayna's camp. The night they make camp, Aang has a unusual dream; a monk tells Aang that in order to continue his training, he must find the girl with eyes as gray as misery, skin as pale as a ghost, and hair as black as death. Originally, Aang believes his dream is telling him about his fire bending teacher, but once he finds Rayna, he realizes that she must train him in basic combat skills. Although reluctant at first, Rayna gives in and joins team avatar. Unfortunately for her, she joined right before they entered the desert. That being said, she never met Zuko and had no idea who he was.

Our story begins in Ba Sing Sae, where Zuko and Rayna would meet for the first time, unaware of each other's true identities.


	2. Hello

Sunlight cracked through the screen onto Rayna's face, telling her it was time to wake up. Rayna's eyes slowly opened as she felt the sun on her face. She groaned, wishing she could just stay asleep for a little bit longer- but, in the end, she had to get up. She stretched her body and pulled herself out of bed quietly; everyone else was still sleeping. She went to the closet and pulled out her usual attire; black leggings, brown bodice, black sarashi, and raggedy boots. She dressed herself and then proceeded to the kitchen to make breakfast. Before she started cooking, she pulled her long, silky, black hair back into a ponytail. While she was cooking, Momo woke up and flew over to her and landed on her shoulders- indicating he wanted food. She smiled and made Momo is small breakfast and set it out for him to eat. She finished making everyone else's breakfast and then ate her own. By the time she'd finished eating, most of the group had woken up and started eating. She cleared away her food and went back to her room to write a list of supplies she had to grab in town as well as grab her bag with money.

In all honesty, Rayna was not a housewife type girl. She rather hated the idea and preferred to go out and explore. However, she was used to cooking for all men since she was little so it wasn't that much trouble for her. Besides, it was unlikely that anyone else would make everyone breakfast. In fact, she found it somewhat relaxing to have a little peace and quiet in the morning. Getting up and getting dressed and prepared did not take her long; she never did anything special with her hair, didn't have any accessories, and never wore makeup- so all she really had to do was get up and get her clothes.

Rayna gather the things she needed from her room and proceeded to walk out and close the door. When she made it into the dining area, everyone was up and eating or just talking.

"Morning, guys," she said as she walked into the room. The only response she received was a grumbled version of good morning, which she didn't really mind. "Hey, by the way, I'm going into town to get some food and supplies that we need. I have a list here so if there is anything else-,"

"Here. I made a list for things that I've personally want you to get," Katara said as she ran over to give it to Rayna, "Oh, and I also wrote some things Toph wanted," Katara said as she handed over yet another list to Rayna.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Sokka exclaimed, "Here is another list of things you probably missed"

Rayna looked down at his list and gave him a small glare, "Sokka," she said coldly, "Everything on this list is meat. Aang doesn't—,"

"Oh no it's fine!" Aang said as he jumped up, "Sokka and I talked about it and I made a list of things I can eat while you guys have some meat!"

Rayna felt herself sink down and get more annoyed. _Since when did I become the shopping lady?_ She thought to herself. _Can't these idiots learn to do some of their own shopping?_

"Okay," she muttered, "Is this all?" she asked sarcastically.

"Oh yeah! One more thing," Aang said. Aang ran over to grab another list and handed it to Rayna. "These are for Momo," Aang said.

Rayna stared in shock at her 6 lists of shopping items. "Alright," she gritted through her teeth, "I'll be back as soon as I can," she growled.

"Try to hurry it up," Sokka said, "I want to have some of the meat for lunch!"

Rayna turned around and gave him an evil glare, "I will get things as I can and bring them back when I can," she growled, "Understood?!" she said sharply. Sokka nodded his head and backed away in fear of Rayna's wrath.

Rayna left the house, already exhausted from everything that'd happened. She softly cursed to herself as she walked down the street. As she stomped around the street, she looked to her left and noticed the Jasmine Dragon. She had been there quite a few times for a cup of tea, and one of the tea brewers, Mushi, was always really friendly to her. She took a moment to catch her breath and calm herself down. _One cup wouldn't hurt. Besides, I need to look through all of the lists. This way I can relax myself and sit down while I do it,_ Rayna thought to herself.

Inside the Jasmine Dragon, business was as usual. Iroh and Zuko, known to others as Mushi and Lee, were serving all of the customers to their best ability. Zuko had his usual grimace on his face, while Iroh sported a welcoming smile. Suddenly, the door to the shop opened. "Welcome!" Iroh shouted across the brewery. Zuko looked up to see none other than one of their regular customers. Zuko had never talked with her and he knew nothing about her; all he knew was that she was beautiful. He was fascinated by her long silky black hair, soft pale white skin, and big ice gray eyes. He immediately went out of sight when he saw her; he wasn't sure why he did this, but he always did this and never saw nor spoke with her while she was here. Iroh had a sneaking suspicion that Zuko had a crush on Rayna, and always wished he could find a way to get them to know each other- which was hard since Zuko kept hiding from her.

"Rayna!" Iroh said, "Good to see you again! Although I am surprised to see you here so early, you normally don't come until later or for that matter don't usually come on this day," He said as he pulled out a seat for her.

"Thank you," Rayna whispered to him as she sat down, "Well, try something new every day I suppose," she lightly laughed to herself.

"I see. Any particular reason for trying something new now?" Iroh asked as he began to brew her tea- she came there so often that he knew what she would order.

"Well, I need a bit of tea right now, is all. I got a lot of stuff to do today for my family, so I figured I'd get the tea now rather than later," she said as she pulled out her lists and looked for the money.

"I see," Iroh said as he gave her the tea. He looked down at her multiple lists and laughed, "You have that big of a family and yet none of them can come with you to help"

Rayna halfheartedly laughed back, "No. Besides, I told them I was going to do it. I just didn't realize they'd give me this many things to do,"

"Let me have a look," Iroh said as he reached for a list, "You drink your tea," he said kindly, "Wouldn't want it to go cold, now would we?"

Rayna giggled to herself and reached for the cup of tea and took a big sip out of it. She let lose a nice exhale after she sipped. She continued drinking her tea as Iroh examined the lists.

"Your family has…odd tastes," Iroh said puzzled as he looked at Sokka and Momo's list.

"Well, when I say family, I mean that pretty loosely. They're my friends who I happened to travel and live with, but it's always easier to call them my family. In a sense, they are like a true family," Rayna smiled to herself, "But then again I don't remember agreeing to become the maid" she growled to herself.

"You sure you'll be able to do all this? Carry all of it?" Iroh asked.

"Hey, don't worry about me. I'm a strong girl and I know where to go for these things," she reached back for the lists and looked down at Toph's, "Well…almost all of these things," she sighed.

"Where is your first stop?" Iroh asked.

"Hmmm…," Rayna looked through the lists, "Probably the herbs shop. It's the farthest one from here, so I'm working my way up from the farthest and then the closest,"

Iroh nodded his head in understanding as Rayna took the last few sips of her tea. She began to put her lists away and reach for the money. "You know," Iroh stated, "That herb shop is very far away, and I heard they are very overpriced and not for any good reason. How about we sell you some herbs?" he smiled.

Rayna looked up, "Wait. Really? You sell herbs?"

"No, not really," Iroh admitted, "But we would for one of our best customers. Besides, a lady like you shouldn't work yourself by walking so much," Iroh grinned.

Rayna laughed, "Well I don't know about the lady thing, but I really do appreciate it you'd be willing to sell me some herbs. If it's okay, that is,"

"Of course, of course" Iroh lied, "Our manager would completely understand," he lied again, "I'll get my nephew to grab these herbs for you. We'll just add it to your tab," he said.

Rayna smiled back at him and thanked him by nodding her head. Iroh went in back to get Zuko, who was hiding his face behind some of the tea herbs.

"The young lady would like these herbs," Iroh said as he handed Zuko the list, "Please gather them and bring them out to her,"

"Uncle, we don't sell herbs," Zuko responded.

"We do now," Iroh smiled and patted Zuko on the back. As Iroh proceeded to walk out, he turned around and said, "Be sure to bring them out to her yourself. You can collect the money from her, I've put the prices on the list. You are smart, you'll know how much she owes you,"

Zuko groaned to himself, "Which customer is it?"

A big smile sprawled across Iroh's face, "The young lady sitting at the counter," Iroh said. Iroh then turned his back and walked out. He went to Rayna and told her the herbs would be there in a moment, to which she smiled in response.

Zuko grabbed the herbs and put them in the bags and walked out. When he looked at the counter, he saw the girl. He blushed but also got annoyed, realizing his uncle did this to set him up. Zuko walked over with his head down and put the herbs next to her, "Here's what you owe us," he stuttered out.

Rayna payed no attention to his unusual behavior and reach to get out the money. She placed the correct amount on the table and grabbed the herbs. Zuko calculated the money and then put it away. Iroh saw this and ran out to Zuko and Rayna.

"I don't believe you two have met," Iroh said excitedly, "Miss Rayna, this is my nephew, Lee," he said as he pulled Zuko forward and lifted his head up.

Rayna looked up and smiled, "Nice to meet you," she said kindly. Zuko blushed from embarrassment. "Umm…yeah," Zuko muttered to Rayna, not looking at her. Rayna looked a little puzzled, but then shrugged it off.

Iroh knew this wasn't going anywhere, so he exclaimed, with a big smile on his face, "My nephew would like to accompany you today on your errands. He can help you carry your bags,"

Zuko's mouth opened in shock, and he pushed Iroh away from him. He looked up at Rayna and stammered, "Don't listen to my uncle," he spit out, "He's acting odd. From old age," he said. Iroh gave Zuko an offended look while Zuko looked away from Rayna in embarrassment.

"Oh, well, I was actually hoping you would come," Rayna said. Zuko looked up at her with shock on his face, and Iroh stared somewhat in disbelief. "I am pretty strong, but it'd probably be easier to have another person help me. It'd also go faster than it would with just me- I wouldn't need to make multiple trips back home," she continued. Zuko and Iroh continued to stare in silence at her. "Umm…if that's okay, I guess? You are working right now so I—," she began to say.

"He would love too!" Iroh exclaimed and pushed Zuko out next to Rayna, "Honestly, there is no need to worry about the work. Today is our least busy day, everything will be alright. Besides, my nephew never goes out so this will be a good experience for him," Iroh smiled, "In fact, it's an honor for him to help out our best customer. Now be on your way, don't want a lovely young lady like you to be out late at night and wouldn't want to keep your family waiting. Bye!" Iroh said as he pushed Zuko and Rayna out and then shut the door on them.

Zuko and Rayna stood there for a bit, trying to process everything that just happened. After a long awkward pause, Rayna looked up at Zuko and said, "Let's go to the meat places first, they are the farthest away and it'd be best to get them now before they run out. Lord knows I don't want this one complaining and whining like a little baby about not getting what he wanted," she muttered as she pictured Sokka throwing a small tantrum over not getting everything he wanted. Zuko slowly nodded and began to walk with Rayna.

The first portion was in complete silence. Rayna talked with all the shop keepers and simply handed the bags to Zuko. She looked at her list and kept walking alongside Zuko. Zuko wanted to say something, but he was too scared to say anything so he kept up his aloof act and just walked next to Rayna while holding the bags. Rayna wasn't thinking about socializing at all, she was just thinking about getting everything done. Rayna didn't get to grow up and learn much about social communication or making friends, in fact this was the first time she'd been alone with a stranger. Normally she met people while she was with one of her families, so this was her first time she met someone without them. At the same time, Rayna just figured Lee didn't want to talk with her and just wanted to get things done and go home, which was exactly what she wanted to do.

At some point though, Zuko noticed some boys began to follow them around. It was subtle, but they kept appearing in the same place as them. Zuko got suspicious, but didn't say anything to the oblivious Rayna. Rayna went up to one of the sellers while Zuko stood back, until he noticed the boys walk up to Rayna. Rayna looked up and saw 3 men, attractive to most but to Rayna they all looked the same.

The shop keeper knew these boys were trouble, so he looked to them and questioned, "Can I help you, boys?"

One of the boys smiled, "Nah. We're good old man. We don't want any trouble,"

"Neither do I," the shop keeper glared at them.

The second boy walked forward and said, "Honestly, old man, trust us. We ain't gonna do anything. Go on and continue serving this lovely little lady here," he smiled while the other boys grinned back.

The shop keeper hesitantly looked away, as did Rayna. She pulled out her money to pay the shop keeper until the first boy grabbed her hand and put it down.

"Honestly, dude, you're making a sweet looking tots like her pay? Where are your manners, old geezer? A little beauty like this shouldn't have to pay," the first boy said as he grabbed Rayna's hand and glared at the shop keeper.

"Yeah, geezer," the second boy said as he went behind the first boy, "What kind of a gentleman would you be if you made this sweetheart pay for her groceries?"

"Now hold on!" the shop keeper said, "It is the law that she—,"

The third boy reached over and grabbed the shop keeper's wrist, the shop keeper began to flinch with pain. "The law? Please. The law is nothing. It's called common curtesy. How about this? We'll pay for this little girl and we'll take her away from here, sounds good? Or better yet you just let us walk without paying?" the third boy smirked.

The shop keeper kept flinching in pain, unable to respond. Rayna slapped away the guys hand and turned to them, "Hey, last time I checked I wasn't asking for your curtesy. Why don't you try asking the little lady first before making assumptions?" she hissed.

The third boy let go of the shop keepers hand and walked over towards Rayna. He stared down at her, with evil intent, "You saying you don't like us? We're just being nice. You saying we can't be nice to you?" he said as he grabbed Rayna's shoulder.

Rayna flinched a bit. _He's strong, I'll give him that. I can't win this with brute force. I need to find an opening and then strike._ Rayna backed away and said, "Being nice, eh? Sorry fellas, I'd rather get to know someone better before they try to make a criminal of me,"

The first boy chuckled, "A criminal? Whoever said we were doing that? We're just letting this guy know he needs to respect your place and position,"

Rayna's gaze turned cold and ruthless, "My position? My place?" she growled.

The second boy stepped forward, "Sugar, a doll like you shouldn't be out buying groceries. A doll like you should be besides her man and treating him real nice," he pushed Rayna back into a wall, "We just want to be those guys, know what we mean? Don't worry, we know how to treat girls like you real good," he began to inch into Rayna to steal a kiss. Rayna struggle to move, but she couldn't. _He's too strong, and he's holding down most of my attack points. He's clearly put a good defense around himself, and has cleverly immobilized me._ Rayna's breath slowly got short as the boy inched closer to her lips, and she softly in a hush toned whispered, "…help me…,"

A slap sound was heard. Rayna's eyes were closed as she was waiting to have her first kiss stolen, until she looked up and saw Lee in front of her. She looked with slight shock. The second boy was on the floor with a red hand mark on his cheek, while the others were backed away and staring. Zuko had fury in his eyes, and his own hand was red from the slap. He rgrabbed Rayna and held her close to him. "I believe this young lady clearly said no. It'd be best if you leave and apologize to her. Now," Zuko said angrily.

Rayna stood there in his embrace still in shock. The boys had menacing looks on their faces, and the second boy stood up while holding his face to his cheek. They grabbed Zuko away from Rayna and pulled him down. Zuko flinched in pain.

"Hey, scar face, don't go playing hero right now. We just wanted to have fun and all. You interrupted the little lady and us," the second one said as he kicked Zuko.

Suddenly, the second one was round house kicked away by an incredible force. He flew at least a meter away and landed face first into the ground. He looked up and saw Rayna, with her leg up high and fists in position, staring at him with a predator like glare. He backed away slowly in fear. The other boys turned to Rayna, shocked by her power.

"Hey! What do you think you're—," the first boy stared until Rayna grabbed him by his neck and threw him down to the ground with her elbow in his gut. He lay motionless on the ground with the wind knocked out of him.

The third boy turned to Rayna and charged right for her with his fist. As he charged, she dodged him, grabbed his fist, and spun him over in the air and slammed him face first into the ground. He looked up, shaking at her presence. Rayna stood before him, with the menacing glare of a powerful dragon. He backed away and ran away with the second boy, while the first one slowly inched away. Zuko stared at Rayna in amazement, baffled by her immense strength and ferocity. Rayna reached her hand down for Zuko and pulled him up.

"You good?" she asked nonchalantly. Zuko nodded in response, and Rayna grabbed their stuff off the ground and then grabbed his hand, "Okay. Let's go, then," she said as she pulled him away.

They left the shop and walked a bit in silence. The atmosphere was definitely more awkward than before, and Rayna was still holding Zuko's hand. As they were waking she stopped, "…sorry…," she muttered to him.

Zuko looked down in shock at Rayna, "What are you sorry for?" he asked surprised.

"…you shouldn't have had to get involved…I don't know what happened with me, but I froze up like a coward…thanks to me it became a real mess…so…sorry for getting you involved since you didn't have to and all," she continued to mutter while looking down at the ground, her hand still holding his hand. "…and thank you…for umm…saving me back there…," she muttered and looked away, still holding his hand.

Zuko started to blush, still shocked by Rayna's reaction, "Well, ummm…. you're welcome…and…I…well…you shouldn't…. I mean…," he inhaled slowly, "You don't need to be sorry for that. I was worried about you and all. So, I did it and stuff," he uttered.

"Okay," Rayna responded. She looked and realized they were still holding hands. She gasped a bit and took her hand away, "Umm sorry…about that too…you only do that with the person you like…I think," she stammered as she started to walk away.

Zuko looked back down at his hand, almost as if he missed holding her hand. He walked back up to her and they walked alongside each other. "I've got to ask," he said. Rayna looked up to him in confusion. "How did you become that strong? Where did you learn those fighting techniques?" he asked with a slight smile on his face. Rayna stared at him for a little bit, but then she started to laugh. Zuko began to laugh too. They both laughed for a little bit, and then they proceeded to walk down the street.

From there on they started talking, non-stop actually. Rayna told him about all her training she went through as a kid; how she learned how to counteract a bender based on their movements without actually bending and how to use patience and observe her targets. Zuko was fascinated as he continued to listen to her. They then talked about other techniques that Rayna knew and she began to list off a few things she picked up from either people she fought or her elders. Zuko began to talk about techniques he knew and asked Rayna some more questions about them, and she answered him and explained to him what and what not to do. They talked all afternoon as they continued to shop, even until they got back to the tea shop.

By the time they got back, it was already late afternoon. They'd gathered all the things Rayna needed and even got a little extra. Rayna reached to grab the bags.

"I can help you carry them home," Zuko stated suddenly.

Rayna smiled and looked up, "Thank you, but I can manage things from here. My house is a short walk from here anyway, so it's not too much trouble. Besides, I would never hear the end of it from him if I walked there with some guy," she said.

Zuko's heart sunk a little, "Oh. So your boyfriend probably wouldn't like it is what you're saying…," he said.

Rayna burst out laughing, "Boyfriend? Oh god no. Not him. He just gives me crap when I let someone help me do things. In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty strong and typically I like to maintain the idea that I am capable of doing these things alone. If he found out that someone helped me, I'd never hear the end of it," she giggled.

"Oh. I get it. So it's a matter of pride?" he asked.

"I guess you could say it like that," she smirked, "And besides, your uncle is probably worried about you. I'd be worried too if someone was gone that long,"

"Won't your family be worried about you then?" he asked.

"Pfft, please. They're more worried about getting food than they are about me. It's cool though, like I said, I act like I can handle myself. That's why they don't worry," she grinned.

"I see," he said. He handed Rayna the bags and Rayna smiled at him, waved goodbye and began to walk away. Zuko stood there for a bit, in slight awe of how much fun he had. He then ran up and grabbed Rayna's hand. She turned around in surprise.

"DATE!" Zuko yelled out. Rayna's eyes with wide with confuse. Zuko blushed upon realizing what he just did and looked away from Rayna in embarrassment, "I mean…*cough*…do you want to go on a date? With me?" he stammered out. Rayna kept staring at him with shock, "Not now…I mean yes now…but you can go home first and then meet me back here…and then we…go out," he stammered again. There was a long pause as he looked away and held Rayna's hand.

"…. okay," Rayna said. Zuko looked up at her, "I've never been on one before…but sure, let's do it," she continued. Zuko smiled a bit and nodded, and Rayna slightly smiled back. "I guess I'll see you soon...," she said.

Rayna then walked away in a hurry towards the house. Zuko continued to stand there with a small smile on his face. He once again looked down at his hand as if he could still feel Rayna's warm hand within his own. He ran back to the tea shop and looked in the mirror. He scuffed his hair slightly but then ran his fingers wildly through his hair in frustration. Iroh overheard him and looked over into the bathroom.

"What are you doing, nephew?" he asked. Zuko turned around in surprise, not realizing his uncle was watching him. Iroh then had a look on his face, "Could it be you have a…. date?" he said with a big smiled.


	3. First Date

About 30 minutes passed before Rayna returned to the tea shop. She didn't change clothes, put on makeup, or do something special with her hair- she looked the exact same as before. Rayna knocked on the door of the tea shop, and Iroh immediately ran over to answer it. He motioned Rayna to come in, and held the door open. As she walked in, Iroh looked at Rayna with a puzzled expression.

"Weren't you wearing those clothes earlier today?" Iroh asked, confused.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Same clothes," Rayna responded, half paying attention.

"But isn't this a date?" Iroh asked.

"That's what Lee said," Rayna quickly responded. She then followed with, "Where is he, by the way?"

"He is…um…taking care of some things," Iroh hesitated.

Seconds later, Zuko walked out from behind the counter. Rayna's eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open. Zuko's hair was slicked down neatly, he was wearing fancy attire, everything about him was neatly polished and finished. He was also holding an enormous bouquet of flowers, which varied in type and colors. Zuko looked like he could barely breath in his neat, tight-fitting clothing, and looked more annoyed and embarrassed than usual.

Silence fell as Rayna stared shocked at the well-dressed Zuko, while Iroh stood by uncomfortably. Zuko wanted to run away and tear off everything. Suddenly, a ginormous burst of laughter shattered the silence; it was Rayna. Rayna was laughing to the point of tears while pointing at Zuko. Zuko quickly blushed furiously as Rayna's laughter echoed throughout his ears.

"W-w-what's so funny, huh?!" Zuko said angrily.

"Your clothes!" Rayna laughed, "You look like you're suffocating! And that hair?! It looks slimy!" She continued laugh, "And what is up with all those flowers? Who died?!"

Zuko's face turned bright red, and he looked at his uncle with an evil glare. Iroh smiled awkwardly while slightly giggling, but then proceeded to run away. Zuko growled and screamed, "FINE! I'm going to change!"

Before he could run off, Rayna quickly grabbed him and pulled him towards her with full force, "Oh come on, don't act like that," Rayna said, "It's cute, in its own weird way… but let's get rid of the hair, shall we?" Rayna said as she scuffed her hand through his hair, returning it to its normal spikey state. Rayna looked at him and smiled, "There, much better!"

Rayna and Zuko left and walked towards a restaurant. Rayna and Zuko looked completely out of sync; Zuko looked like Rayna's butler. They arrived at the restaurant and took their seats. Zuko wasn't sure what to do or how to act. He hadn't been out with someone in over three years, and clearly Rayna didn't understand date etiquette.

"So…what are you ordering?" Zuko asked.

"Noodle Soup," Rayna responded.

"Sounds good," Zuko said.

"Yeah," Rayna responded.

Zuko wasn't sure what to say next. Should he tell her what he's ordering? Or did she not ask him because she didn't care? Should he try telling a joke? Should he compliment her? His head was spinning with all the possible questions.

"Lee!" Rayna shouted.

Zuko immediately looked up, confused as to why she shouted at him. Then he looked up and noticed a waiter standing in front of him.

"Listen, boy, are you going to order something or keep daydreaming?" the waiter asked annoyed.

"Uh…yeah order…umm…," Zuko paused and realized he'd never thought about what he wanted. Panicked he quickly said, "Same as her!"

The waiter nodded his head in response, and walked away with their menus. Once he was out of reach, Rayna looked over at Zuko and asked, "Are you okay? You were out of it for at least a minute or two,"

"Wait, seriously?!" Zuko exclaimed.

"Yeah. I kept saying your name but you wouldn't respond. Were you sleeping or something?" she asked

"No! I wasn't sleeping, I was just…thinking…about things," he mumbled

"Um okay," she shrugged.

Zuko wanted to bury himself alive out of embarrassment. He didn't even like noodle soup, and he must've looked like an absolute moron sitting there in silence. So far this date was not going well, for either of them.

"Question," Rayna said firmly.

Zuko looked up, "Okay,"

Rayna blushed a little bit and looked away from him, "Ummm….so what exactly do you do on a date?" she mumbled, "I just don't totally understand the concept. I mean I hardly understand what a date is,"

Zuko couldn't stop staring at her, she looked so cute when she blushed. The light pink tone added a nice tone to her face, even if it looked pretty faded by her pale skin. He was mesmerized by her beauty, and accidently mutter, "You look beautiful when you blush,"

Rayna immediately turned her head towards Zuko with a confused expression on her face. For one thing she couldn't clearly hear what he said, and what she thought she heard sounded odd. Zuko realized what he said and turned bright red, "Oh…uhh…what I meant to say was…. that a date is…when two people go out together so they can…spend some time together…,"

"Okay…so what should we do? Is there specific rules, guidelines, or regulations for a date?" Rayna asked

 _Wow._ Zuko thought to himself, _she really doesn't understand this_ , "No, not really. I mean there are things that typically happen when you're have a date, but they aren't set in stone or anything,"

"Alright, but you still haven't told me what we do," Rayna said

 _Hold hands, flirt, talk to each other…. kiss_ , Zuko thought. The moment he thought about kissing her, he immediately shook his head, _no way, this is our first date…hopefully not our last. Besides, someone as beautiful as her has probably been kissed thousands of times_. "Mostly, you talk," Zuko finally responded.

"About…?" Rayna asked.

"Umm…ask questions about each other, talk about things we like and dislike, our pasts…stuff like that," he responded.

Rayna sat there for a moment, contemplating how she should go about this date- more importantly how to succeed at this date. Her thoughts were interrupted when the waiter brought their food over. She thanked him and began eating. As she as eating, she looked over at Zuko, who hadn't touched his food. Zuko noticed her staring at him and immediately ate a spoonful of his food, but he couldn't hide the disgust on his face. The soup was bland and didn't have any meat to add some flavor, but he was used to spicy meals with plenty of seasoned meat.

"Too bland for you?" Rayna smiled at him.

"No, of course not. It's delicious," Zuko lied. He took another spoonful and tried to smile.

"No, you don't," Rayna said, "I'm guessing you prefer spicy food? Probably like meat too,"

Zuko paused, "…how did you know?"

Rayna giggled, "I know because you just told me. Before I was just guessing,"

"Okay, well what made you guess?" he said, a little flustered.

Rayna paused, and buried her face, "I don't want to say, not around all these people anyway,"

Zuko stared at her confused, "Umm…okay? I really don't mind if you tell me, even if it's embarrassing,"

Rayna shook her head, "This is Ba Sing Sae, there are ears everywhere…no one gets away with secrets. It's not something embarrassing, and it's nothing to be ashamed of…but you might get in trouble,"

"I don't care. Tell me," Zuko said.

Rayna looked around and took a deep breath. She walked over to Zuko and whispered in his ear, "Because you're from the fire nation,"

Zuko froze in shock. Did someone tell her? Was this a set up by the government? He wanted to ask how she knew, but didn't want to admit that he was fire nation.

"Please don't freak out," Rayna said, "I don't care where you're from or what happened in your past. Just like before, it was a guess based on your appearance,"

"What about my appearance?" he demanded.

Rayna sighed, "Because you look like you're from there, but that is the same for every nation. People from the water tribe typically have tanner skin and blue eyes, people from the earth kingdom typically have paler skin and black hair, and people from the fire nation typically have dark hair and gold-toned eyes…like you,"

"So…you just assumed based on my appearance?" Zuko asked.

Rayna nodded, "It's not meant to be offensive or rude. I've just traveled a lot and met many different people, so it's just an observation. Besides, you're cute and all, so you don't need to worry about your appearance,"

Zuko blushed, "You think I'm cute?"

Rayna's eyes went wide and she blushed, "Yeah…but don't quote me on that. It's a compliment, accept it or forget it," she hid her face.

Zuko smiled and looked at her, "Thank you,"

Rayna continued to hide her face, "You're welcome,"

From there, dinner went smoothly. There were moments of silence, but they didn't last very long. Zuko learned that Rayna loved ocean's and lakes, even though she couldn't swim, and Rayna learned that Zuko liked feeding turtle ducks. Zuko learned that Rayna disliked being discriminated or treated differently for being a girl, and Rayna learned that Zuko disliked annoying people. They didn't talk about their pasts because Zuko didn't want Rayna to dislike him, and Rayna never discussed her past with anyone.

They left the restaurant and walked around for a bit. They talked more about their interests and their passions, and even teased each other a bit. They kept walking until they saw a fountain, and they sat down together. It was silent and peaceful. Rayna looked up at the sky, mesmerized by its beauty, while Zuko looked at Rayna, mesmerized by her beauty.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Rayna smiled as she stargazed.

"You're beautiful," Zuko said. Rayna looked at him, slightly confused, and he quickly said, "Yeah, it is beautiful. Really nice,"

Rayna continued to look at him, but then smiled, "Thank you. Thank you for telling me I'm beautiful,"

Zuko blushed, "You are welcome, but I'm sure you've heard that plenty of times,"

Rayna looked down and shook her head, "No, actually. You're the first person to ever tell me that,"

"Really?" he asked

"Yeah. Really," she smiled.

Zuko reached over and grabbed her hand, "Well, you are beautiful, even if people don't tell you that,"

Rayna blushed and giggled, "You've got to be the cheesiest guy I've ever met,"

Zuko chuckled, "Thank you,"

"You're welcome," she said.

There was a moment of silence as Zuko held her hand. They weren't looking at each other, obviously embarrassed by what they said. Rayna was confused, she'd never been in a position like this before. This was all so weird to her, and yet she felt a sort of warmth inside herself.

"Rayna?" Zuko said

"Yes?" she responded.

"…can I tell you a secret?" he whispered.

"Umm…yeah, go ahead…," she responded.

Zuko leaned in as if he was going to whisper something into her ear, but he then pulled her chin towards him and kissed her. Rayna's stood frozen, with her eyes wide open. Zuko pulled his lips off of hers. He was smiling, until he noticed Rayna's shocked and confused expression. He immediately turned away from her and let go of her hand.

"Sorry," he said, "I wasn't planning on doing that. It just happened...but I didn't not want to kiss you…I did want to kiss you so I did, but I didn't mean to…does that make sense?" he looked over at Rayna, who was still shocked, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have surprised you like that," he said.

Rayna had no idea how to respond, and she didn't understand kissing, so she continued to sit there. Zuko got a little irritated, "I didn't realize it was that horrible for you,"

"No…it wasn't," she said, "I just…I…remember how I told you that you were the first person to tell me I'm beautiful? Well…you're also the first person to…kiss me…," she blushed, "It wasn't bad or anything, it was just a surprise is all…it was kind of nice…," she mumbled.

"I…was your first kiss?" he asked.

"Yeah. First kiss and all," she said.

Zuko paused for a little bit, "So…how was it?"

Rayna blushed even harder and buried her face into her knees, "…nice…good…mostly nice…,"

Zuko lifted her face up and looked her in the eyes, "Could I kiss you again?"

Rayna froze for a little bit, but then slightly nodded her head. Zuko put his hand on her cheek and tenderly pressed his lips to hers. Although she was tense at first, she slowly relaxed and kissed him back. About a minute later, Zuko pulled his lips away from hers. They both stared at each other, their faces bright red.

They walked back towards the tea shop in complete silence, except this time they were holding hands. Once they reached the shop, they stood in front of it for a bit, still holding hands.

"I should probably get home," Rayna said.

"Yeah," Zuko responded.

"Umm…I want to thank you," she said, "It was…. nice,"

"Yeah, it was nice for me too," he responded.

Rayna let go of his hands and began to walk away, but Zuko ran and grabbed her hand, "Want to…go on another date…sometime soon?"

Rayna smiled, "Yeah. That'd be nice,"

"Okay," he said, "Well, goodbye…Rayna,"

"Goodbye, Lee," she said.

Zuko kissed her on the cheek before he walked away. Rayna walked home, flustered by all that had happened to her.

When Zuko walked in to the shop, Iroh was sitting there waiting for him. "So? How was it?" he asked.

Zuko smiled, "It was nice,"

Rayna walked into the house and saw that everyone was asleep. She quietly walked back to her room and got dressed for bed. After she got dressed, she heard a knock on her door and noticed it was Toph, "So? How was it?" she asked.

Rayna smiled, "It was nice,"


	4. His Illness and Her Care

A few days had passed after their date, but Rayna was unable to see Zuko. Following their date, Rayna and team avatar needed to focus on finding Appa. Even though Rayna didn't know Appa for very long, he was still important to her; she had to everything she could to get him back. Zuko, on the other hand, was slightly bothered that Rayna hadn't visited him. He knew it hadn't been that long, yet he couldn't stop thinking about it. Did she not like him? Was he too forward with her? Was she lying about the kiss being nice?

 _The kiss_ , Zuko thought to himself. Is it possible that something so wonderful for him was a disaster for her? As he thought about it, he slowly placed his fingers on his lips. He remembered how gentle and soft her lips were, and how warm they felt pressed against his. He remembered how velvety her cheek was, and how sweet it was. He didn't even know that a cheek could be sweet. Above all though, he loved holding her hand. For him, holding her hand was more sensual than any kiss could ever be.

Meanwhile, Rayna was helping Katara put up posters on a different section of the city. At first they weren't talking, but suddenly Katara grabbed Rayna and said, "I can't wait any longer! You have to tell me about your date!"

Rayna froze for second. She'd only told Toph about the date, because she figured Toph wouldn't make a big deal out of it. So how on Earth did Katara find out?! She tried to say something, but could only manage to make incoherent noises.

"I'm sorry, but Toph told me where you were. I tried to hold it in and not say anything, but I can't resist anymore! I know you probably didn't tell me in the first place because you knew I'd make a big deal out of it and I completely understand. But you need to tell me anything and everything!" Katara said.

Rayna was still frozen from shock, "…. e-e-very-t-thing-g…?"

Katara nodded excitedly. Rayna's eyes went wide as she suddenly remembered her first kiss. It was weird in it's on way, but she liked it at the same time. It wasn't necessarily the texture of Lee's lips or anything, for her it was how welcoming and warm they were. Rayna's face turned bright red as she continued to think about it.

"Could it be…. that he kissed you?" Katara smiled.

Rayna's mouth dropped, and she began to shout, "WHO SAID ANYTHING ABOUT KISSING? KISSING WAS NEVER MENTIONED BEFORE SO DON'T ASSUME ANYTHING, KATARA! AHHH! I'M GOING TO PUT UP SOME POSTERS OVER THERE, AND THERE WILL BE NO MORE DISCUSSION ABOUT DATES OR KISSING…. ESPECIALLY KISSING!" Rayna began to storm off, still muttering with embarrassed rage. Katara looked back and giggled to herself, _I'll take that as a yes_.

Rayna continued to storm off while clenching to the posters. She had no idea why she reacted like that. She didn't know that people even discussed things. And how was kissing suddenly so embarrassing for her? Before, she thought kissing was weird and didn't understand what could be so nice about it. Wasn't kissing just a weird excuse to spread germs? Her older brother had told her that people only kissed if they wanted to have babies, it was exclusively for baby making. The moment the word _baby making_ came across her thoughts, she immediately screamed from embarrassment and punched a hole in a wall. She didn't even understand the concept of baby making, but she definitely didn't want to think about it.

Even later, Rayna still hadn't gone to see Zuko yet. After everything that had happened with the Earth King, the Dai Lee, and the Freedom Fighters, Rayna was happy she was finally able to get a break, and she didn't have Sokka around to annoy her, which made it much better. Zuko, on the other hand, wasn't able to relax. After everything that had happened with the blue spirit and releasing Appa, Zuko had fallen ill and was bed ridden. Iroh was hoping that Rayna would come see Zuko, maybe she could help him feel better or even just help him in any way. Iroh knew that Rayna had a soothing presence on Zuko, and he was desperate to help Zuko feel better.

One morning, Rayna woke up later than usual, since she felt no need to make breakfast for just her and Katara. She walked out and noticed that Katara had left a note. _Rayna,_ it said, _I'm going to be at the Earth Kings' Palace all day trying to help out with invasion stuff. Try to have some fun on your own. Also, feed Momo. He only likes it when you make him breakfast. Sincerely, Katara_.

Rayna stared at that note for a bit, still pretty groggy from waking up. Aside from feeding Momo, she didn't know what else to do. She didn't need to go grocery shopping or anything, and apparently she didn't need to help with the invasion plan either. She had never had any free time before this, and now she didn't know what to do with it.

She figured she'd just walk around the city and try to relax, anything sounded better than sitting at home by herself. She quickly fed Momo and got dressed. She decided to grab her bag and leave a note for Katara, in case she was running late for some reason.

Rayna left the house and walked aimlessly around. She wasn't thinking about Lee or anyone, in fact she wasn't thinking period. She was just walking and feeling the sun on her skin. She felt herself smile a little bit. This reminded her of when her parents and brother would go for walks around the woods. Her older brother would always try to race her, even though he was 7 years older than her and had a clear advantage. Her mom and dad would just walk behind them, holding hands and smiling. Rayna felt a small tear roll down her face, which made no sense since she wasn't crying yet. She looked up and saw that the once sunny day was now filled with clouds and rain.

 _Peachy. Just peachy. I am wet, and I don't know where I am,_ she thought to herself as the rain poured on her. She continued walking straight, hoping to see an indication or someone who could help her.

Meanwhile, Iroh was still trying to take care of Zuko. Zuko's fever was worse than ever, and he kept having nightmares. Iroh felt some rain blow into the room, so he quickly went over to shut the window. Once he reached the window, though, he looked out and saw Rayna slowly walking in the rain. Quickly, he ran out the door and screamed for her. Rayna saw him and ran towards him, and walked with him to the apartment.

By the time Rayna got inside, she was soaking wet and cold, "Thank you, Mushi. I didn't know it was going to rain and I got lost, so thank you for letting me stay here until the rain stops," Rayna began to shake, "I'm sorry to ask, but do you have a towel or something I can borrow? I'm just a little cold,"

"Of course," Iroh said, "But I need you to help me with something first…it's Zu-…. Lee," Iroh motioned her towards Zuko's side of the room.

Rayna looked down and saw Zuko. He was drenched in sweat, he had bags under his eyes, and he was pale. Rayna turned to Iroh with a concerned look, "What happened with him?"

"He's having a—," Iroh began to say, "Cold! He's sick, very sick as you can see," he said.

Rayna kneeled down by Zuko, "I know you want me to help, but I'm not a medical person or anything…so I don't know if I'll even be that useful,"

"I'm not asking you to cure him, miss Rayna," he said, "I haven't been able to leave the apartment since he fell ill, and I need to go get some supplies. I want you to take care of him while I am out,"

"How long will you be gone?" she asked

"I do not know, but I will try to hurry," he said, "You don't need to do anything hard. Just put a cloth in cold water and put it on his head for a bit. He's just been sleeping lately, so he shouldn't be much trouble. If he does wake up though, there is clean water and a tea kettle over there," Iroh pointed out before he left.

After he left, Rayna sat down by Zuko and just stared at him. _Yes, I did want something more to do today. Yes, I wanted to see Lee. I just didn't quite imagine it like this,_ she thought. She saw the cold water cloth Iroh mentioned on Zuko's face. She reached for it, but then out her hand on his forehead. _Even though my hands are freezing, I can definitely tell he has a fever,_ she thought. Just as she was about to stand up to put the cloth in cold water, she felt an arm pull her back down and she landed on Zuko.

Rayna looked and realized that she was lying on top of Zuko and his arm was tightly wrapped around her. Her face turned a whole new shade of red. She struggled to push and pull herself off of Zuko, but the harder she struggled the tighter he held her. She didn't know what to do; she didn't want to wake him up, but she especially didn't want Mushi to come in and get the wrong idea.

"…cold…," Zuko whispered breathlessly.

Rayna stopped struggling and noticed that he was still fast asleep, so he didn't do this intentionally, _I guess he just need something to cool him down since he's burning up_ , she thought. She put her chin down on his chest, _now that I think about it, Mushi never gave me a towel or anything to warm up with, so I'm still freezing,_ she thought. She felt herself get tired as she lay on top of Zuko. His excessive warmth was helping her heat up, while her coolness was helping him cool down. She slowly felt herself put her head on his chest and fall asleep.

While Rayna slept on Zuko, Zuko began having another nightmare, except this nightmare was also memory. Firelord Ozai was standing in front of him, but his father was a giant while he was the size of a pin. He felt the same fear and anxiety that he felt during his agni kai against his father. He began to shake and cry, praying to leave this nightmare. But instead of firing at Zuko, Ozai grabbed someone else and struck them with lightning. Slowly, the person he struck began to fall from the sky. Zuko reached out to grab the person, only to realize that it was Rayna. Rayna was covered in blood and had a giant scar on her chest, and her eyes were wide open. As Zuko watched Rayna slip away, his father's laugh echoed throughout his ears.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," Zuko screamed as he pulled himself awake. He clenched his chest and tried to catch his breath. He quickly looked around, but he didn't see anyone nearby. He lowered his head into his hands, still trying to calm himself down.

"I want to say they get better, but they don't," Rayna said as she walked over to him. She was carrying some soup and clean water over to Zuko, "I wish I could tell you they'll go away, but they won't," she said as she kneeled down by him. She put the cloth in cold water, "Just remember, they're only nightmares. It doesn't help much, but it's the best advice I can give," she said as she pushed him down and placed the cloth on his head.

"What…what are you…," Zuko began to ask.

"Your uncle asked me to help out. Besides, I was in the neighborhood and had nothing else to do, so why not?" she said.

"You…didn't have…," he said.

"You're right, I didn't have to," she said, "But I did it anyway, so here am I,"

Zuko felt himself relax again as he watched Rayna. Even though he was embarrassed to see her right now, he was also relieved. The nightmare he had…it felt so real. He was worried that she was actually dead. What was the point of that nightmare? What was even happening to him?

He felt Rayna poke him, and he noticed that she was offering him some clean water. Although he didn't want to look like a slob, he was so thirsty and hot that he practically poured the water on himself. Rayna laughed a little bit, "Geez, if I had known you wanted water that bad, I would've brought you out into the rain,"

Zuko tried to pull himself up so he could look out the window, "Since when was it…,"

Rayna quickly pushed him back down onto the pillow, "For a while, but you have to keep resting. I'll go get more water for you. You don't need to eat the soup right away, only when you feel well enough," she said as she walked away.

Zuko laid back down on his pillow. He couldn't believe that this was how he and Rayna were spending time together. She probably didn't want to help him; she just did it because she didn't want to sound rude. He hated this; this heat, this thirst, this weakness, these emotions.

Not too long later, Rayna had returned with some more clean water for him and a towel. She put the cold water down beside him and wrapped the towel around him, "You want help drying off, or can you do it yourself?" she asked.

Zuko immediately remembered that he had been sleeping with no shirt on. Even though it shouldn't be that big of a deal, his whole body turned red and he inched away from Rayna. Rayna looked at him with a very confused expression, "Umm I'll take that as a yes?"

Zuko blushed even harder, "Sorry…I'm basically half naked right now…,"

"You're shirtless, Lee. Not butt naked. Why does it matter?" Rayna asked.

"You…you don't mind?" he asked.

"Why would I? I see shirtless guys all the time. I'm beyond used to it by now," she responded.

Zuko froze in terror. She's used to shirtless guys?! Shirtless guys all the time?! She's how used to shirtless guys?! He began to blush even harder and curled into a ball. Even though there was a different stigma for seeing guys shirtless, he felt exposed and didn't want Rayna to see him like this.

Rayna eventually just rolled her eyes and got back up, "If it's that important to you, I'll leave until you're done drying off. Would that make you feel better?" she asked.

"Uh…no…you can stay," he said.

Rayna just sighed and sat back down, "Okay, but don't get mad at me later! Remember, you told me to stay,"

Zuko slowly nodded and dried himself off. A few seconds later, he was back in bed and sound asleep. Rayna just sat near him and stared at him again. She didn't understand why he was so embarrassed before about not wearing a shirt. He didn't seem happy to see her. She knew that she didn't go see him right away, but she had other things to do.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She walked over and opened the door, but only saw a note and some groceries. She brought them inside and read the note. _Miss Rayna, I will be out later than expected. I have other things to take care of, and there was a very lovely woman at the market who kindly invited me to dinner. I'm sure you can keep taking care of_ _Zu_ _Lee_. Rayna sighed and rolled her eyes. Not only was she the maid at her house, now she was a nanny somewhere else. _Whatever. Just do it and get it over with_ , she thought to herself.

Zuko didn't wake up again until nighttime. By then, Rayna had put everything away and had made herself something to eat. Zuko woke up and didn't see Rayna. _So, she left? No matter, I would've probably left too_.

"You awake now stupid?" Rayna said as she walked over to Zuko. She put her hand on his forehead, "You still have a fever. Go back to sleep before it gets worse,"

Zuko was surprised to see Rayna still here, he assumed she would've gone home by now. He was more surprised that she was still awake and casually walking around the small apartment. "What…time…," Zuko muttered.

"Late. Your uncle had a hot date or something so he's still out. At this rate he probably won't be back until morning," Rayna casually responded.

Zuko pulled himself up to grab some water. He still felt awful, but not as awful. He took a quick drink before lying back down. He heard small rain drops outside, "It's still raining?" he said.

"Yeah, not as bad though. It was really bad when you fell back asleep but it's calmed down since then," Rayna said, "And didn't I tell you to go back to sleep?"

"Sorry," Zuko mumbled. He curled back under the covers and turned himself towards Rayna, "I was just thinking…Rayna…your name…it kind of sounds like 'rainy'," he said.

Rayna smiled and giggled a little bit, "I know. It's supposed too,"

Zuko kept looking at her, "Why?"

Rayna kept smiling, "My parents always told me that I was a 'ray' of sunshine on a 'rainy' day. So they put 'ray' and 'rainy' together and named me Rayna," she laughed a bit.

Zuko noticed a change in Rayna's demeanor when she talked about her parents; it was like she suddenly had a gentle glow. "Where are they now?" Zuko asked.

Immediately, Rayna's demeanor changed. Her once gentle glow had faded into a soulless darkness. Her eyes were practically blank and she was frozen in place.

"Rayna?" Zuko asked. He then noticed that she was tense and shaking, "Rayna, are you okay?" he asked concerned.

Rayna snapped out of her trance, "Yeah. Yeah. Fine," she said with a slight shake to her voice, "Didn't I tell you to go to sleep, dummy? I don't want to be held responsible if your cold gets worse. So, why don't you just shut up and sleep?" she said. Rayna was trying to contain her fear, trying to pent up everything memory and flashback; she was rebuilding a wall that she carelessly allowed to fall down.

Zuko kept staring at her, not sure what to do. After seeing that fear and pain on Rayna's face, he couldn't let her walk away. He didn't like seeing her like that, it hurt him. He remembered how earlier she talked about nightmares, how they can never go away and how they'll never get better. He wanted to know exactly what her nightmares were about, and he wanted to help stop the pain. Impulsively, he reached over and pulled Rayna down next to him.

Rayna blushed, and then started hitting him, "Let me go! You're going to get me sick!

"I won't fall asleep until you fall asleep," Zuko said.

"Can't I sleep somewhere else?!" she demanded

"No," Zuko responded.

Rayna paused for a bit, "You promise you'll fall asleep?"

"100% guarantee,"

Rayna paused again, "…. fine…," she muttered, "but if you get me sick, I will kill you,"

"Okay," Zuko smiled.

Rayna blushed and stood completely still while Zuko held onto her, "You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Rayna said, "it's…nice," she blushed.

"Good," he smiled and held her tighter.

Rayna eventually snuggled into his chest and clung to him a bit. Slowly but surely, they both fell asleep in each other's embrace.


	5. Heartbroken

After Zuko got better, things were going well for him and Rayna. He lived closer to Rayna now, so he could see her more often, and they began acting like a real couple. Although, it was Zuko that was acting like the perfect boyfriend. He sent Rayna flowers, notes, always greeted her and said goodbye to her with a kiss, and always made time to see her. Rayna was still confused with everything, but she tried to do her best. She wasn't totally comfortable with being kissed in front of so many people, and would act out when Zuko flirted and teased her. At the same time, Zuko had called Rayna his girlfriend and told her that he loved her, but Rayna didn't respond. Zuko understood that this was all new for Rayna and she didn't understand what it felt like to be in love, but he still wished that she would acknowledge him as her boyfriend and tell him she loves him.

Katara, by now, was completely aware of Rayna's relationship with Zuko. Of course she didn't know that it was Zuko, she thought it was a refugee named Lee. She always asked Rayna about him and their dates, but Rayna was too embarrassed to respond to her questions. Katara kept asking if she could meet Lee, but Rayna was hesitant to introduce him. She hadn't told Zuko that she was affiliated with the avatar, and she worried that introducing him to Katara would reveal her secret. She wasn't ashamed or anything, she just worried that Zuko would only stay with her so he could meet the avatar. She wanted to make sure that he loved her for being herself, not because she was friends with the avatar. She knew it was bad to keep the truth from him, but she was afraid of losing him.

One day, after a long council meeting, Rayna was preparing to go see Zuko. Just as she was about to leave, Katara grabbed her by the hand, "Can you take me to the Jasmine Dragon? Please?"

Rayna sighed, "Katara, I told—,"

"I know, I know, but I want to meet this mystery man. I won't even go in and talk to him, I'll just try get a glance and then run away so he doesn't see me," Katara said.

"That's kind of creepy," Rayna responded.

"Please. I just want to see. Besides, he makes you so happy, and I want to thank him for that. Since you started seeing him, you've become…I don't know…a better person,"

"What, was I horrible before?"

"You know what I mean!"

"But, those documents…,"

"Why don't you take care of them and I'll run over to see Lee? That way he won't even know that we're friends,"

Rayna paused and took a deep breath, "I mean if you really want to—,"

Katara excitedly hugged Rayna, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Okay, okay, take it easy. Get off me, weirdo," Rayna smiled.

Katara quickly ran off and handed the documents to Rayna. Rayna had no clue why Katara wanted to see Zuko so bad, but she figured it wouldn't be too bad. Like Katara said, if she goes by herself then Zuko wouldn't even know that they're friends. All she could do now is pray that Katara wouldn't embarrass her, and take the documents to the earth king.

As Rayna reached the throne room, she noticed that the only people there were the kyoshi warriors. Rayna had never met them before, but she knew that Sokka's alleged girlfriend was one of them. She also had no idea who Azula, Mei, and Ty Lee were, so she wouldn't recognize them and realize they were fire nation.

"Have you seen the Earth King around?" Rayna asked.

"No, we haven't seen him lately. Why?" Azula asked.

"I just need to give him some documents about the invasion plan is all," Rayna responded as she started to walk away.

"Aren't you a little young to be on the council?" Azula asked.

"Um I guess, but since only Katara and I are here to represent the avatar, I'm stuck on council," Rayna said.

Azula's eyes went wide when she heard Rayna say 'avatar'. She quickly walked over to her, "Are you associated with the avatar? I don't recall seeing you before," she said.

"Oh, well, I wasn't exactly a part of their team when they went to kyoshi island, so you don't know who I am," Rayna said, "Oh, I'm Rayna by the way. It's nice to meet you, but I really have to find the Earth King and—,"

Azula, Mei, and Ty Lee all surrounded her before she could walk away. Rayna knew something was wrong and got into a battle stance, "What's going on?"

"We're going to take those documents from you, silly!" Ty Lee said.

"And then you'll rot in prison," Mei said.

Rayna began to back away from the girls, scared of what was going on. She noticed that Mei had small daggers and Ty Lee was in a chi blocking stance. Rayna quickly pulled out her swords and stared both of them down.

"Now, now girls," Azula said, "We don't need to fight her. If she cooperates, we could do this the easy way. And if you cooperate, we'll let you join us and you won't rot away in prison,"

Rayna furrowed her brows and frowned, "Sorry, but I'm not really a compliant girl,"

"Suit yourself," Azula said.

Suddenly Azula shot a lightning bolt at Rayna, which Rayna managed to dodge, just barley. Azula continued to fire at Rayna, but Rayna dodge every attack. Mei then launched her daggers at Rayna, but Rayna managed to grab them and throw them back at her. Mei was pinned to the ground by her own daggers and couldn't move.

"I must admit, you're pretty good for a non-bender," Azula admitted.

"Thanks, I like to think I'm a good fighter," Rayna responded.

Before Rayna could react, Ty Lee began to chi block her. However, nothing happened. Confused, Ty Lee kept poking her, trying to find her weak spot.

"Hmm this normally works," Ty Lee said.

"You done yet?" Rayna asked. She then kicked away Ty Lee at full force, crashing her into a pillar. Rayna turned to fight Azula, but felt something grab onto her hair and began to drag her backwards. She turned and saw the Dai Lee behind her. Rayna flinched in pain as her hair was being yanked back, but she knew what she had to do to escape. She reached back and chopped off her hair. Her once waist length hair was now gone, and all that remained was short chin length hair.

Unfortunately, she was too busy cutting off her hair to notice that one of the agents launched a rock at her. She was soon struck on the back of her head, and immediately collapsed onto the floor. Azula walked over and grabbed the documents from Rayna's hand.

"You know what to do," Azula said. The agents nodded and began to drag Rayna away. "And would someone please pick up her filthy hair from the floor?" Azula asked. An agent walked over and grabbed the pile of Rayna's beautiful black hair.

Everything had been set in motion. Katara was captured not too long after Rayna was, and Aang, Sokka, and Toph were on their way back to Ba Sing Sae.

Zuko was worried since Rayna never showed up to the tea shop. She was supposed to be there around lunch time, but now the shop was closing for the day. Did she forget? Did she have an emergency? Did she decide not to come for some reason?

"I know you are worried, nephew," Iroh said, "But something must've come up. Miss Rayna has been working with the Earth King lately, so she probably is very busy and stressed at the moment. She would never intentionally avoid or leave you, she is a very nice young woman and respects you,"

Zuko smiled. His uncle was right about Rayna; she wouldn't just decide not to show up. She always had good reasons and intentions for what she did. In the end, Zuko thought he had nothing to worry about. Besides, perhaps he would see her at the palace the next morning.

Rayna, however, was not fine. She was still unconscious and had been thrown down into a cave. Apparently, it wasn't safe enough to put her in a normal prison. As she lay unconscious, she kept having horrible flashbacks of her past. Her mother and father being killed right in front of her eyes, her brother being beaten and forcefully dragged away, her town burning to the ground, and the soldier clutching her by her throat and pinning her against a tree. Voices echoed throughout her thoughts. _You are weak. They died because of you. You will never be strong enough. They died protecting you. This is all your fault. You are a coward. This is all your fault. You should've died with them. This is all your fault. You don't deserve to be alive. Rayna…this is all your FAULT!_ Rayna sprung herself awake. Tears were rolling down her face and she was shaking in fear. She started crying and whispering to herself, "…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…it's all my fault…I'm sorry…,"

Hours passed before Rayna managed to calm herself down. By then, Zuko and Katara were imprisoned together, Iroh and Aang were searching for them, and Sokka, Toph, and the Earth King were in prison. _There has to be a way out,_ she thought to herself, _there must be a way out of here…wherever this is._ Rayna looked around and saw beautiful glowing crystals. She noticed that there was a passage leading somewhere. She walked down the passage carefully. It led her into a big open area with a waterfall and more crystals.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps running towards her. She turned around and saw Katara and Aang running towards her.

"Rayna? What are you doing here?" Katara asked, "Never mind. We need to find a way out of here before Azula and Zuko catch us,"

"Who are—," Rayna was interrupted by a giant flash of lightning which knocked her back. She pulled herself up and saw the girl who attacked her earlier, "So…I'm guessing that's Azula," she said. She pulled out her weapons but ran away, "You guys hold her off, I'll find a way out," she yelled.

While Katara and Aang fought Azula, Rayna searched for a way out. _Come on, come on. There has to be a way._ She looked and saw a waterfall. She quickly ran over and noticed that there was a hole above the waterfall. _Okay, so that works for water benders, but not Rayna benders. Any chance there is a rope around here?_

Before she could look for something to pull her up, a blast of fire was shot at her and knocked her down. A giant burn mark was left on her shoulder. She flinched in pain as she pulled herself up. But when she got up, she looked over and saw none other than Lee, firebending at Aang and Katara. She felt her heart collapse and her body weaken. "And I guess that's Zuko," she said as tears streamed down her face.

Her whole body felt numb and she couldn't think straight. Tears kept flowing out of her eyes as she looked in horror at Zuko. She clutched onto her chest as she felt her heart breaking into millions of pieces. _I really am a weak idiot, aren't I?_

Zuko, however, had no idea it was Rayna who he blasted. He didn't recognize her because of her short hair. He just thought she was some girl trying to help out the avatar, so naturally he had to take her down. He was too busy focusing on Aang and Katara to look at Rayna.

Suddenly, he turned and saw a sword launching straight towards him, missing his face by a mere inch. He looked for the attacker, but only saw a girl grabbing onto her shoulder. In mere seconds, he realized that girl was Rayna. _No way. This…this isn't possible._

Rayna stared at him while tears streamed down her face, but then vanished. She found a rope and attached it to her second sword, and threw it above the waterfall to create an escape rope. She slowly climbed, while still clutching her burned shoulder. She couldn't stop the tears streaming down her face. Why was she so stupid? How could she let her guard down like that? It was obvious to her that he only wanted to get close to her so he could get to the avatar. Everything sweet and thoughtful he had done was all an act. She hated herself, and she hated herself for loving him.

Zuko's heart sunk. Not only had he betrayed his uncle, but he also betrayed someone he loved. He never knew she was in the avatar's group; he didn't even know that she knew the avatar. Was she lying to him this whole time? Trying to distract him and keep the avatar safe. _No,_ he thought, _she would never do that. She would never do that._

Rayna could barely stand up once she exited the cave. The pain in her arm was killing her, and the pain in her heart was weakening her. Luckily, Sokka and Toph came over and saw her collapsed on the ground. They assumed she was crying from her burn. Sokka held her close, trying to comfort her through the pain.

"I need to get her on Appa," Sokka said as he picked her up and carried her away.

Once they were on Appa, he quickly found some bandages and wrapped them around her shoulder. She screamed in pain as Sokka touched her shoulder. "Don't worry, Ray," Sokka said, "You're going to be alright, I promise,"

 _You're wrong_ , she thought to herself, _I'm never going to be alright_.

Rayna and Zuko have gone their separate ways. Rayna was eventually healed by Katara, but the burn left a scar on her shoulder. Rayna stayed with team avatar, and continued adventuring and preparing for the eclipse. Zuko traveled back home, reuniting with his old girlfriend, Mei. Zuko lives the lapse of luxury, but still suffers in silence.

Rayna blocks Zuko from her memory so she can focus on more important things, but her teammates notice that she has become more reserved and less cheerful than before. Zuko, on the other hand, can't stop thinking about Rayna. Every night, he remembers the horrible, pained look on her face when they were fighting. He tries to convince himself that he is over her and did the right thing, but he knows he is just lying to himself.

Rayna thought she would never have to see Zuko ever again, and Zuko thought he'd never be able to see Rayna again. But, their fates cross paths again after the solar eclipse.


	6. The Return

After Ba Sing Sae, Rayna continued on with her adventures as if nothing had happened to her. After Katara helped heal her burn, she erased all thoughts of Zuko and focused her mind and body on the solar eclipse. She resumed her own personal training, and put much more effort into training the team. She focused on everyone and everything, except for herself. She became more reckless with her actions, risking her life in certain situations.

Everyone was worried about Rayna. Not only because she was acting recklessly, but also because she was just a different person. She didn't smile or laugh like she used to, and she became more reserved. It's as if she built a whole new wall around herself to keep people further away from her. She slept less than usual, and sometimes would get less than 7 hours of sleep a week. She acted like nothing was wrong and outright refused to talk about personal affairs.

If anyone asked about Lee, she would either dismiss it or simply say that Lee didn't matter anymore. She wasn't lying though, because Lee really didn't matter to her anymore. She looked back on her relationship as a mistake, saying she was weak and suffered the consequences. In other words, she believed that it was all her fault for getting burned.

Meanwhile, Zuko as going on fine without Rayna. He won back his honor, he was respected as a true prince, and he had a new love, Mei. Zuko thought he was happy with how everything turned out, and acknowledge Rayna as the true enemy. He told no one about his past relationship with Rayna, and tried to forget her completely. For him, everything was going well.

Except it wasn't well, in reality Zuko was plagued with guilt and confusion about everything that had happened. His lasting image of Rayna (the one where her hair was short, her shoulder was completely burned, and her face was covered in tears) burned his memory; it kept him up at night, and would plague him during the day as well. He tried to forget her by staying with Mei and loving her as much as he could, but it didn't help. His guilt over Rayna just added to all of his other regrets which slowly killed him.

Since no one knew about Rayna, no one ever asked about her. Zuko thought that no one knew who she was, so he would never risk hearing about her. However, one day, when he was outside by the turtle duck pond, he heard Azula, Mei, and Ty Lee talk about Rayna.

"I like being home and all, but I kind of miss Ba Sing Sae. Especially that really cool girl. You know, the one who kicked our butts?" Ty Lee said.

"She didn't kick our butts. She just surprised us," Mei responded.

"Are you kidding? She totally defeated us. Like when you through your daggers at her, she actually caught them and through them back at you! And she didn't even flinched when I tried using chi blocking on her, like it didn't even affect her! She was so cool and awesome," Ty Lee said, "Azula, would you have seriously let her join our team? Or were you just bluffing? Because it would've been awesome if she was on our side,"

"At the time I wasn't. But I must admit, she did intrigue me. Had I known she was that skilled, I likely would have extended an invitation to her," Azula said.

"I guess she was pretty good," Mei admitted, "What was her name, again?"

"OH! I think I remember. It was something that ended in an "a", and I think there was an "i" or a "y" somewhere in there. Ugh! Even her name was as cool as she was!" Ty Lee said.

"Wasn't it something to do with the weather?" Mei added.

"I don't think so. It sounded like it did, thought," Ty Lee said.

"Rayna," Azula said, "Her name was Rayna,"

Zuko immediately froze. The name "Rayna" echoed through his ear. He felt himself panic a little bit. Did they know who she was? Did they know that she and him were together? How much did they know about the girl?

"RiiiGGGhhhTTT!" Ty Lee said, "Her name was Rayna. I would've called her 'Rainy'!"

"That's a dumb name," Mei said, "Besides, she wasn't invincible or anything. After all of her gross hair got cut off, she was taken down by a rock. Pretty lame if you ask me,"

"Huh…I guess you have a point. But I still think she was awesome," Ty Lee said, "I wonder what happened to her?"

"Beats me. She's probably rotting away," Mei said.

"If I recall correctly, Zuzu left her with quite the burn in Ba Sing Sae, almost as bad as the burn father gave him. Maybe she's dead by now," Azula said, "Whatever. Let's talk about something else,"

Zuko felt his body burn up and his breath shorten. He quickly pulled himself up and weakly left the pond. He struggled to make it back to his room, as the image of Rayna kept appearing in his mind. By the time he made it to his room, he could barely stand and collapsed on his bed. As he lay on his bed, multiple images of Rayna appeared, but all transformed into his lasting image of her. He felt tears stream down his face as he thought about her and how much he hurt her. He stayed in bed and cried until he fell asleep.

The day of the eclipse arrived. Everyone was preparing for battle and sorting everything about. Rayna, for some reason, was in a better mood that day. She was talking with other members of the invasion, and introducing herself to others. She even captured the hearts of some of the boys, like Teo and Haru. Although, the Duke had already declared Rayna as his bride long before she met Teo and Haru. The group was happy to see Rayna back on her feet and happy to see her smile again.

Everything was moving smoothly for Rayna. She knew her orders, was actively helping others, and stayed focus on the invasion. Everything was working, until they were taking a break on the submarines. Just as she was about to call Katara and tell her to come back to the submarine, she saw Aang kiss Katara. At first, she smiled; she knew that Aang loved Katara, so she was happy that he made a move. However, she then remembered her first kiss with Zuko. She remembered how shocked she was and how she didn't know how to react, yet she remembered how nice it felt when his lips were pressed against hers. As she remembered the kiss, she started to remember the pain she had once he revealed his true colors to her. As she thought about it, she slowly reached her hand for her shoulder, which was scarred by the burn. She lost focus of the invasion, and found herself spiraling into a dark depression.

She felt her body weaken and her heart grow dark. It wasn't just her memories of Zuko, it was every other memory and mistake that had happened in her life. She was losing it and couldn't get a grip. She wanted to make the pain go away, to stop everything, but she couldn't. As the thoughts grew worse, she eventually pulled out her sword and cut her forearm. The pain on her arm snapped her out of her depression, and pointed her towards what really mattered, the invasion. She grabbed some bandages and quickly wrapped it around the cut. She was now numbed by the pain, and ready to fight.

After the fight was over, Rayna escaped with Aang, Sokka, Toph, Teo, Haru, the Duke, Momo, Katara, and Appa, unaware that Zuko was following behind them. Even though the cut hurt, Rayna didn't regret it. She had to snap out of it somehow, so she did what was necessary. No one asked about the cut on her arm, as they figured it happened during battle, which was how Rayna wanted it. She didn't want anyone asking her about it or even knowing about it.

At one point, Rayna felt a hand grab onto hers. She looked down and say the Duke holding onto her hand.

"Does it hurt? Should I kiss it and make it feel better?" he said.

Rayna smiled, "That'd be very kind of you,"

The Duke kissed her arm and then hugged her. Despite everything, Rayna was happy to know she was cared about. Even though she didn't plan on marrying the Duke, she appreciated how sweet he was. Little things like that made Rayna smile and feel better.

"You'll be a great husband, the Duke," Rayna smiled at him. He smiled back and continued to hug her. _Everything will work out, Rayna,_ she thought to herself. _You have people who care about you, and that's what matters,_ she thought.

Zuko arrived at the temple before anyone else. He was still nervous about seeing them, about convincing them that he was good now and wanted to help them. Most of all, he was nervous about seeing Rayna. He wasn't sure if she was still with the group or not, and he wasn't even sure if she was alive. How would she react? Did she tell everyone about their relationship in Ba Sing Sae? Did she hate him now? He didn't want her to hate him, in fact he was hoping that she still liked him. Maybe they would be able to get back together once he joined the group? Maybe they could go on as if nothing happened?

His thoughts her interrupted when he heard Appa roar. He quickly ran off so no one would see him. Even though he wanted to stay back and see if Rayna was still there, he knew it was too early to be spotted. It was important to wait and figure out a plan before seeing everyone.

As Zuko hid away, the others settled down. Teo, Haru, and the Duke ran off to explore the temple, while Rayna stayed back with the others to figure out a new plan. Frankly, Rayna wasn't completely interested in coming up with a new plan; she was tired and wanted to get lunch ready for everyone so she could go take a nap or something. Rayna needed some time to relax and be alone every day, and typically that was when she cooked.

Rayna was somewhat pleased when Aang ran off after they tried discussing the new plan. She saw it as an opportunity to escape from everyone. When asked if she wanted to go after Aang, she denied and said she was going to gather some food so she could start preparing lunch. She was happy when everyone left to chase after Aang, and immediately went to look for some food.

However, as she returned and was going to tell everyone that she was going to start making some lunch, she completely panicked when she heard a voice say, "Hello. Zuko here".


	7. Reunited

"Hello. Zuko here,"

Those words echoed throughout Rayna's mind and she was paralyzed by fear. What was he doing here? Was he here to fight? She couldn't go out and face him, even hearing his voice made her weak. She stayed behind the wall and tried to stand as still as possible, hoping she wouldn't attract any attention to herself. She couldn't hear the conversation over the sound of her heartbeat.

"If you would give me a chance, Rayna can vouch for me…I can be good," Zuko said.

"How dare you!" Katara shouted, "Do you realize what you did to her? Do you understand how much you hurt her? How much pain she went through because of you?"

"Why on earth would Rayna vouch for you? You didn't even know who she was, yet, the moment you realized she was on our team, you burned her!" Aang yelled, "She didn't even do anything to you! She was trying to escape!"

"Thanks to you, she has a permanent scar on her shoulder to remind her every day of what you did!" Sokka yelled.

Every word they said stabbed Zuko in his heart. _She didn't do anything. You burned her. After what you did. Pain. Scar. Hurt._ Zuko knew he messed up, but he didn't realize how much he had really messed up. "I did something unspeakable and horrible to her, and I'm sorry. If you let me see her, I can—," Zuko started.

"No way. You will never go near her ever again!" Sokka shouted, "And you'll never come here again either!"

Rayna listened as Zuko begged and even offered himself as a prisoner. She remained hidden until she heard him run off, and then she slowly emerged from hiding.

"I-I-I…," Rayna stuttered, "I found…s-s-some food for-r-r lunch…,"

Everyone noticed that Rayna was shaking and had tears rolling down her face. No matter how hard she tried to conceal it, she was terrified and weak.

Sokka walked over to her and took the food from her hands, "We can take care of lunch, Ray. You need to go lie down, otherwise you'll collapse," he said as he grabbed her hand and led her away.

Even though Sokka was holding her hand, it didn't feel romantic to Rayna at all. She and Sokka became really close the moment they met, and they were each other's best friend. She and Sokka openly argued, he annoyed her, she was 100% willing to beat him up, yet they had fun together and were able to talk to each other about personal things; they were like an old married couple. He would hold her, hug her, and comfort her, but it wasn't the same as when Zuko did it. He even told her that he loved her, but in a best friend sort of way (which Rayna didn't understand whatsoever).

Sokka brought Rayna to her room, "Go to bed, now," he said.

Rayna slowly stumbled over to her bed and collapsed onto it, "There. I'm in bed. Happy?"

"Now fall asleep," he said.

"Whatever, General Bossy pants," Rayna muttered as she turned onto her side, "I can't sleep with you standing there like a buffoon, so go away before I throw you out," she growled.

"Now there's the sweet, gentle, kind girl we all know and love," he responded sarcastically. Rayna turned her head towards him and flashed him an evil glare. "Alright, alright, I'm leaving," he said, "But try to get some sleep, we're worried about you,"

"Whatever…stupid," Rayna mumbled. Sokka smiled, and then left the room.

Rayna laid there, still shaking. _Stop it, Rayna. Don't cry. You are better than this. You have moved on,_ she thought to herself as tears streamed down her face. She quietly wept to herself until she fell asleep.

While Rayna managed to sleep through until morning, Zuko hadn't been able to fall back asleep after he accidentally burned Toph's feet. He had already screwed up with the group, and now he had made it even worse. Why was he so bad at being good? He knew there was good in him and he could do good things. He was good when he was with Rayna. Just being around Rayna made him want to be a better person. She was so gentle and kind, yet she had her own attitude and wasn't afraid to teach people a lesson, but she always saw and brought out the best in everyone. All she had to do was smile, wink, touch, or laugh, and his problems would go away and he'd feel better.

Although he was relieved to know that she was alive, he knew she probably hated him now. She probably thought he was the scum of the earth, and that he pretended to like her so he could get closer to the avatar, even though it wasn't true. After Ba Sing Sae, he tried again and again to deny any feelings he had for her. He tried to tell himself that he was lonely so he clung onto the first girl he felt slightly interested in. But in the end, he couldn't escape reality; he did love Rayna.

Back in the Fire Nation, if there was a crowd of girls surrounding him, he'd secretly be hoping that Rayna was in the crowd, waiting for him with her beautiful smile. Even when he was with Mei, he found himself thinking about Rayna. Sometimes he would wonder if Rayna had met someone else, if she had fallen in love with someone else. The very thought of it made him furious (which was very hypocritical, considering he went for another girl right away). Even the idea of her smiling at someone else made him go insane.

He loved her, and he hated that he loved her, because he knew she didn't love him back. He hoped that once he joined the group, he'd be able to win her back and make her love him. But now, it was impossible. Now she'd never love him back.

Rayna woke up feeling rested and relaxed. Crying it out had helped her calm down a little bit, and she even slept in. She walked out and saw that Katara had made everyone breakfast, except for Momo (since Momo only liked the breakfast Rayna made). She smiled, almost relieved that she didn't need to worry about cooking for everyone.

"Hey, you're awake!" Katara said, "Sokka told me that you needed to relax and sleep in, so I got up and made breakfast. Granted, it's definitely not as good as yours, but I think it will do," she smiled.

"Thanks, Katara," Rayna smiled, "Are you the only one awake?"

"Yeah. I know how early you usually get up to make everyone breakfast, so I forced myself to get up just as early. It's not easy though. I don't even know how you manage to do it," Katara said.

"Well, I'm pretty incredible if I do say so myself," Rayna winked, "I'm gonna head out for a walk, so I'll eat later. As for Momo, I'll take care of him when I get back," Rayna said as she started to walk away.

"Wait!" Katara said, "Toph kind of stormed off yesterday…we had a bit of an argument,"

"What about?" Rayna asked.

"It doesn't matter now. What does matter is that she hasn't come back yet…and I'm…well…I'm just worried about her," Katara said.

"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye out for her," Rayna smiled, "If I see her, I'll bring her back immediately," Rayna said. She waved goodbye to Katara and walked away.

Rayna loved going for walks by herself. She loved feeling the sun on her skin and nature's aroma; it was the perfect cure for bad days. Besides, after everything that had happened (the invasion failed, they had to leave soldiers behind, they had to find Aang a fire bending teacher, Zuko appeared out of nowhere, etc.), she was in desperate need of a good walk. After walking for a little bit, she knew it was time for her to head back. _If I don't go back now, Momo will starve and I'll never hear the end of it. Besides, I need to look for Toph. I'll look for her on my way—_

Rayna's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps coming towards her. She immediately jumped in some nearby bushes to hide from whatever was behind her. As the footsteps got closer and louder, she realized it was none other than Combustion Man. She felt herself panic, but quickly held her breath and stood motionless so he wouldn't notice her. _How did that bastard track us all the way out here?! I need to get out of here and warn everyone else. Ugh, but I don't have enough time! I cannot risk getting caught or noticed by him, otherwise he'll kill me instantly. What am I supposed to do?! Think Rayna, think!_ Rayna continued to panic too herself as he walked past her. _Wait, maybe I can attack him by surprise? I know exactly where his weak spot is, and if I time this perfectly, I can strike him, hopefully, without getting hurt._ Rayna reached down for her weapons, only to realize she hadn't brought them. _Out of all the times to forget your weapons, you choose now?! Okay, okay, calm yourself. I'll just improvise, I can improvise no problem…I hope…_

Rayna stealthily followed slowly behind Combustion Man. Her heart was beating out of her chest, and her pulse was all over the place. She was terrified of this man. In the past, they just ran away from him, which was fine until he found them again. Frankly, she wanted to run away. She wanted to run and hide like a coward. But she knew that running away was no longer an option. If she wanted to keep everyone safe, she had to take him down, even if it meant risking her life.

Finally, Combustion Man stopped moving and jumped down to a lower platform. Rayna stayed on the platform above him, hoping she could manage to strike him from behind. Timing was imperative, and she only had one shot at this. But she needed to wait for the perfect moment, otherwise her plan would fail. _Be patient and breath, Rayna. As long as I'm quiet and strike him at a good time, everything should work out. I just need to wait a little longer….and…._

Just as Rayna was about to attack, Zuko came rushing in. Rayna stared in shock as Zuko flailed around right in front of Combustion Man. She was more shocked that Zuko was telling Combustion Man to stop and leave her and her friends alone. Even if Zuko admitted that he had changed, she didn't expect him to do something so risky. _What does that idiot think he's doing? Going right in front of him like that? Could he be more stupid? That technique will only lead to disaster, she thought to herself as she looked at Zuko. How can he be so careless?!_

Her thoughts were interrupted when Zuko was knocked off the ledge. Rayna felt herself panic, she wanted to scream out for him or run over and save him, but she couldn't do it without ruining her attack. In the midst of her panic, she suddenly saw Sokka's boomerang fly towards her. She immediately reached out and grabbed it. _Well. Here goes nothing._

Rayna jumped down and landed on Combustion Man shoulders. She immediately stabbed his forehead with Sokka's boomerang, making him collapse onto the ground as well as bring her down with him. She quickly pulled herself up and threw the boomerang back towards Sokka. However, just as she tried to escape, Combustion Man grabbed her and pulled her back towards him. Holding her by her throat, he held her over the ledge. He stared at Rayna with his menacing eyes, making Rayna shake in fear. He stroked her cheek with his clawed metal hand, leaving a cut just below her eye. Suddenly, he released his grasp from her throat and dropped her.

The moment Combustion Man dropped her, Rayna screamed out. She heard her teammates yell out her name as she fell. Rayna continued to scream and cry out, until she landed on a soft, white, fluffy surface. She looked and realized that Appa, by his own accord, had flew out to catch her. She smiled and cried tears of joy as she hugged him, "Thank you so much, buddy. You're definitely getting an extra treat for lunch today," she said. Appa roared happily in response, making Rayna laugh.

After Combustion Man's bolts backfired and the explosion destroyed him, Rayna noticed Zuko still hanging off the ledge for dear life. She grabbed Appa's rein and flew him over to Zuko. Just as Zuko lost his grip and fell, Rayna reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him onto Appa. Zuko stared in disbelief as Rayna held onto him and flew them back to the main area of the temple. Even after they landed and Rayna hopped off, Zuko still couldn't believe that Rayna had saved him. After all the horrible things he had done to her, she still reached out and saved him. He even got to hold her hand again, although it was just for a second or two.

Zuko climbed off Appa, and turned to see the whole group staring at him, everyone except for Rayna that is.

"I can't believe I'm saying this…but thank you for saving us," Aang said.

"Hey, I was the one who threw the boomerang," Sokka noted.

"Oh please," Rayna said, "That boomerang wasn't even close to hitting him. If I hadn't caught the boomerang and hit him with it, we'd all be dead by now," she said as she poked Sokka.

"Well, it's still my boomerang, I still get the credit," Sokka argued.

"Okay, sure. Take your credit for having the worst aim in the world," Rayna argued back.

"Guys!" Aang said, "Can you stop arguing and please focus?" Aang asked. Rayna and Sokka mumbled in response and stopped arguing.

After that, Zuko once again tried to explain himself and convince everyone that he was good. He managed to get Aang on his side, but Aang told him he had to ask everyone else first. Sokka agreed, Toph agreed, and Katara agreed. Finally, it was down to Rayna.

"Rayna," Aang said, "Because of Zuko, you have that permanent scar on your shoulder. He hurt you, really bad. Are you willing to forgive him and let him join?" Aang asked.

Rayna stood in silence for a moment, looking down at the floor. After a long pause, she gently nodded her head in response.

After everything had been settled, the group walked away from Zuko. Zuko stared at Rayna as she slowly vanished from his sight. Rayna could feel Zuko staring at her, but she continued to look down at the floor and tried to hide her face. She heard Zuko call out her name, but she quickly ran off. Even though she just saved him, she was still scared and nervous about facing him and talking to him. She still needed time to process everything, and she needed to focus on taking care of herself.

Zuko continued to stand in the same spot, motionless as he watched Rayna. He thought he'd be able to talk to her right away, but he knew she probably wasn't ready for that yet. Zuko sighed and scuffed his hand through his hair.

"Thank you, Rayna," he whispered to himself.


	8. Conversation

Even though it had been a few days since Zuko joined the group, Rayna still hadn't talked to him. She avoided him every chance she could get. Zuko, on the other hand, was trying to talk with her every chance he could get (which was hard considering she would literally run away to escape him). All he could do was observe her from afar during group meetings and meals. Sometimes he would see her walking around at night when he couldn't sleep, but he never tried to approach her.

From what he could see, she was a different person. Her once gentle and lovable persona was rarely shown, and it was a miracle if she smiled or laugh. She mostly smiled and laughed when she was around Sokka, which drove Zuko insane. He'd overheard people say that Rayna and Sokka were like an old married couple, which made him even more jealous.

Aside from her personality, even her appearance had changed a bit. Her hair was now slightly below chin length, still much shorter compared to her old below waist length hair. Also, her hair was now styled with soft curls and gentle waves; although her hair had some volume and slight waves to it before, it was hardly noticeable compared to her hair now. Her once flawless skin was now accessorized by cuts, scars, and bruises, and she had bandages wrapped around her forearm. On that note, now he could see much more of her skin than before. In the past, her long hair completely covered her back and part of her front. Now, he felt like he could see everything. He'd never noticed before that Rayna actually had some nice curves along her body; she had moderately sized breasts, a fairly round butt, and an overall hourglass figure. Despite these slight differences, she was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever laid eyes on.

Rayna, on the other hand, was paying little to no attention to Zuko. The only time she thought about him was when he was brought up or when she was avoiding him. She knew it wasn't fair to keep Zuko in the dark, but she didn't know what else to do. She didn't trust him, anymore. She didn't even feel safe around him. Normally, Rayna was a forgiving person who gave others the benefit of the doubt; with Zuko, though, she wouldn't even give him a chance for forgiveness.

One night, when Zuko couldn't sleep, he decided to walk around and explore the temple. It had been over a week, and he still hadn't talked to Rayna. By this point, her avoiding him was just ridiculous. He knew she was upset, but that didn't give her the excuse of avoiding the problem at hand. Did she understand how awful it made him feel? Every time he got even a little bit close to her, she ran away like she was a prey being hunted. Almost everyone else in the group had accepted him, so why couldn't she?

As he walked around the moonlit temple, he saw a shadow figure around the corner. He slowly walked over and realized that the shadow figure was Rayna. Her feet were hanging off the edge and she was looking up at the stars. Her face was calm and serious, a side that Zuko had never seen before. He was used to her either smiling, frowning, or crying, but never neutral. He walked over to her and sat down next to her.

"You really like the stars, don't you?" he said as he looked at her. Shocked by his sudden appearance, Rayna immediately tried to stand up and walk off. However, Zuko quickly pulled her down and held onto her.

"Hey! Let me go," she protested.

"No! You are not running away this time. You and I are having a talk," he stated.

"No! Just leave me alone," she said as she struggled to break free from his grasp.

"We need to talk! So could you stop acting like a stupid kid and just face me already?!" he demanded.

Rayna was taken back by his sudden burst of anger. She slowly stopped struggling and calmed herself down, "May you please let go of me? I promise I won't run away," she said coldly.

Zuko nodded and let go of Rayna. Rayna immediately scooted further away from him the moment he let her go. Although he wanted to move himself closer to her, he figured she'd get mad if he didn't let her have her space.

"So," she said, "You wanted to talk. Now talk,"

Zuko exhaled a large sigh, "Listen, Ray, I—,"

"It's Rayna," she firmly stated, "Don't call me Ray,"

Zuko paused for a moment, but then sighed again, "Rayna, it's about everything that happened in Ba Sing Sae. Look I know we both did some things that—,"

"No. We did not do 'some things'. You lied to me," she coldly responded.

"Yeah, I know. But that's what I want to—," he started.

"There is nothing to talk about. You lied to me, and you betrayed me," she interrupted.

Zuko could feel himself getting annoyed, "Hey, don't go playing victim here. You lied to me too," he growled.

"Exactly," she said.

"What do you mean 'exactly'?!" he demanded.

"Lee…I mean Zuko, neither one of us is the victim because he both screwed up. We both lied to each other about who we were, and it only ended up hurting both of us. That's why the thing we had in Ba Sing Sae was a big mistake," she said.

"Why would you say that?" he asked, hurt.

"Don't you get it? We both lied! We both betrayed each other! If you and I were truly in a serious relationship, we wouldn't have lied to each other about our identities. We both had our reasons for keeping it a secret, and that's fine. But if we really loved each other, we would have said the truth," she said.

Zuko once again felt himself getting angry, "I thought you said you didn't care if I was from the Fire Nation?"

"I didn't care, and I—," she started.

"You say you didn't care, but the moment you find out I'm the Crowned Prince of the Fire Nation, suddenly you hate me!" he shouted.

"Let me explain!" she demanded.

"No! You don't get it! Every time someone found out I was Fire Nation, they automatically assumed I'm a horrible, disgraceful human being. But then I met you. You were the first person who knew I was from the Fire Nation and didn't care. You judge me for who I was and not for where I came from! Yet the moment you realize that I am the heir to the Fire Nation throne, you automatically hate me!" he shouted.

Suddenly, a loud, painful slap was smacked across Zuko's face. He looked down and saw that Rayna had tears in her eyes, "LISTEN TO ME FOR ONE SECOND YOU STUPID IDIOT!" she cried. Zuko stood in astonishment as his cheek began to swell with pain.

"I don't hate you because you're from the Fire Nation, and I don't hate you because you're the Prince of the Fire Nation. In fact, I don't hate you at all! But you know what I hate? Why I was so angry? I hated that you immediately turned your back on me and hurt me!" she yelled.

Zuko felt his heart sink into his stomach, "Rayna…I…,"

"No! Don't lie to me and say you're sorry or that you somehow understand all this pain and confusion I'm going through," she cried, "I…I trusted you. You were showed me things, told me things, and did things to me that no one had ever done before! I was scared, yet I thought that it'd be okay because I had you there protecting me. But then…but then…you betrayed me. You betrayed me…you betrayed me even when…. even when I trusted you…and I…I…loved you," she wept, "And you want to know why I didn't tell you about knowing the avatar? Because ever since I've joined this group, outsiders only cared about me and noticed me because I was friends with the avatar. Before, people never looked at me and thought I was just a piece of garbage. But suddenly they all love me when they see me with the all mighty avatar. I didn't tell you because I thought that you would do the same! You would just use me to get to Aang, and not even care about me…just like everyone else," she said.

Zuko felt a darkness loom over his heart. Even though she was just as much to blame for the situation, he felt like this whole mess was his responsibility. He never knew that Rayna felt that way, and now he felt like the biggest jerk. If Rayna had told him she was affiliated with the avatar, he probably would've used her to get close to Aang so he could capture him and restore his honor. He remembered when he discovered that Appa was in the city, and how every thought he had of Rayna was consumed by his desire to capture the avatar.

"Rayna…," he started.

"Please, don't," she said.

Rayna immediately walked away from Zuko and ran off to her bedroom. Tears were coming out of her eyes like lava. She tried as hard as she could to not cry, but to no avail. She landed on her bed and cried to herself. She cried, and cried, and cried. Even though she did what she had to do and told him how she really felt, why did it hurt so much? She wished her dad and mom were there to hold her and comfort her. They always knew what to do and say when she was little. Even her older brother would come and comfort her, despite their age difference. She wanted her family back, she needed her family back.

"Why? Why am I such an idiot?" she gently wept to herself.

Meanwhile, Zuko hadn't moved since Rayna ran off in tears. He too felt hurt. He thought that talking with her would somehow patch up their relationship. Instead, it made an even bigger fissure in it.

"Why? Why am I such an idiot?" he whispered to himself.


	9. Her Past Revealed

After that night, Zuko and Rayna hardly acknowledged each other's existence. At meetings, they never responded to each other or looked at each other. At meals, Rayna just set out food for him beforehand so she wouldn't have to serve him. The tension between them was worse than ever, and they weren't sure if they could ever fix it. Although both of them wanted to make it up to the other person, they couldn't bring themselves to even look at each other. Whatever potential spark there was of them making up was now over.

Zuko was angrier and less happy than normal (and he was never happy). He was angry at Rayna for not staying and talking things out, but he was also angry at himself for how he reacted. Maybe they just weren't meant to be? After all, she used to be full of joy and see the best in anyone and anything, while Zuko was more resentful and cold (or so he thought). Besides, who needed Rayna anyway? Mai loved Zuko, and she didn't care if he was hateful. Mai made him laugh and smile, and she always cared for him even before he was the banished prince. She believed in him, supported him, but wasn't afraid to talk back to him. She was an amazing and incredible girl. If he had her, why did he need Rayna?

But he knew that no matter how hard he tried to ignore it, he did need Rayna. Yes, Mai was wonderful and he had fun when he was with her…but it wasn't the same as when he was with Rayna. When he was with Rayna, he felt alive. She could make him smile without putting in any effort. She was different from other girls, but different good. When he kissed Mai, it was nice. But when he kissed Rayna, it was enlightening and beautiful and wonderful. He was fine with holding Mai's hand, but when he held Rayna's hand he never wanted to let go.

Even after everything that had happened, Zuko still had feelings for Rayna. No matter how much he wanted them to go away, he knew he couldn't get rid of them. Even if Rayna found someone else and fell in love with them, he still wouldn't be able to get over her.

Rayna, on the other hand, was being plagued by her post-traumatic stress disorder. After the fight with Zuko, all she could think about was her family. At first, they were happy memories, like when her mother would sing lullabies, or when her dad would use his waterbending to heal her injuries, or when her parents taught her how to cook at a young age, or when her older brother, Aram, would chase her around the village. However, her happy memories were quickly forgotten, and her memories of the Fire Nation raid took over. Her never-ending nightmares forced her to stay awake, while her flashbacks and uncontrollable thoughts prevented her from functioning.

Despite numerous efforts to help her, Rayna turned everyone away and claimed that she was fine. When Sokka and the others first met Rayna, her guardians (Morro, Loch, Saber, and Zed) told the group how their village was claimed by the Fire Nation, and that Rayna lost her mother, father, and brother during the raid. Aang, Katara, and Toph only knew to the extent that Morro, Loch, Saber, and Zed explained. Sokka, on the other hand, learned that Aram, Rayna's older brother, wasn't killed during the raid, rather he was kidnapped by soldiers. Apparently, the soldiers were kidnapping fire benders in order to make them Fire Nation soldiers. That being said, the men told Sokka that Rayna secretly believed Aram was still alive.

Zuko, however, knew nothing about Rayna's past; he didn't even know how she met team avatar. He had a feeling that something may have happened to her parents, but he truly had no idea. He noticed that she was acting out of the ordinary, but he figured that she was still upset about their fight.

On their way to the Boiling Rock, Zuko and Sokka began talking about their ex-girlfriends. At first, Zuko talked fondly of Mai and told Sokka the reason he had to break up with her. Sokka told Zuko about Yue and how she turned into the moon. As they sat in silence a little longer, Zuko decided that he had to talk about Rayna. However, Sokka suddenly surprised him.

"Hey, how good are you at keeping secrets?" Zuko mumbled.

"Depends on whether or not it's worth keeping," Sokka responded, "Why? What's up? Are you secretly a happy person?" he mocked.

"No. I told you, I'm never happy," Zuko growled, "It's about Rayna," he admitted.

"What about Rayna?" Sokka asked.

"Well, before I say anything, don't freak out or make a big deal about it," Zuko sighed, "Back in Ba Sing Sae…did Rayna…um…ever mention a guy named Lee?"

Sokka pondered for a moment, "Well, technically she didn't mention him to me. I heard about him from Katara, and Katara heard about him from Toph. I know that he asked Rayna out on a date, and she really liked him. But…after Ba Sing Sae…she never talked about him. It was almost like he disappeared," he said, "Wait, why are you asking? How could you have known about Lee and Rayna?" he asked, "Unless…,"

"Unless…what?" Zuko asked.

Zuko turned and saw Sokka's eyes popping out of his head and his mouth was wide open. "YOU'RE LEE?!" Sokka shouted, "YOU?! B-B-BUT…,"

"I told you not to freak out, okay!" Zuko shouted back, "Look, my uncle and I were refugees in Ba Sing Sae and we took on different identities, I was Lee and he was Mushi. I met Rayna while I was working at The Pao Family Tea House. And before you say anything, I didn't even know she was affiliated with you guys, and she didn't know that I was the Prince of the Fire Nation; our whole relationship was founded on lies," he admitted.

"Then why did you burn her?" Sokka asked coldly.

"I didn't know it was her," Zuko said, "She was far away from me and I didn't recognize her without her long hair," he said.

"So you just went and burned a random girl?" Sokka said.

Zuko lowered his head in shame, "Yes," he said, "And I regret it every day,"

"So, just apologize," Sokka said, "Look, Rayna may seem like an evil and scary monster. But in reality, she's an evil and scary monster with a heart full of forgiveness,"

"Everyone keeps saying that she is a forgiving person, yet she hates me and won't forgive me!" Zuko said angrily, "Every time I try to talk with her, she either avoids me or we get in a fight! By now, she probably hates me more than your sister does," he sighed.

"First of all, no one hates you more than my sister does," Sokka said, "Second of all, Rayna doesn't hate people. Even if someone does something terrible to her, she still won't hate them; she thinks that there is good and bad in everyone, and that no one is predominantly evil or good. It may seem like she hates you, but I'm know Ray, and I know she wouldn't hate you," he said, "Even though you brutally smashed her heart into millions of little pieces, she still doesn't hate you," he said as he patted Zuko on the back.

Zuko grimaced, "…thanks…," he grumbled.

"You're welcome," Sokka said. Zuko turned and gave him an angry glare, "Well, there is one similarity between you two; neither of you can take a joke," Sokka said.

"Sorry if I don't think my complicated love life is funny," Zuko mumbled.

Sokka rolled his eyes, "Look, I know Rayna doesn't hate you. If she doesn't hate the Fire Nation after what they did to her, then she definitely doesn't hate you," he said.

Zuko looked confused, "Why would she hate the Fire Nation?"

Sokka froze up, realizing that he said too much, "Um…well…you know…because it's full of evil, power driven, jerk-benders…,"

Zuko stared at Sokka, "If there is one thing I know about Rayna, it's that she sees the good in everybody and that she doesn't believe that anyone can be pure evil," he said. Sokka scooted away from Zuko, trying to avoid the question, "You and Katara hate the Fire Nation because they killed your mother and…well…me. So what is Rayna's reason?" he asked.

Sokka looked away from Zuko, "I don't think it's my place to tell you,"

"I deserve to know," Zuko said.

"Well, actually, you don't deserve to know," Sokka replied, "In Rayna's eyes, none of us deserve to know about her past," he said, "She thinks her past is her own burden, and she doesn't want people to get involved," he continued, "She didn't even tell us about her past, other people did. And even so, we don't know the full extent of it," he said.

"Please. I normally do beg for stuff like this, but I…really care about her…and I want to know," Zuko said.

Sokka let out a big sigh, "Have you heard of Zai?" he asked

"No," Zuko said, "what is it?"

"It was an independent village where refugee's and mixed families lived. It was Rayna's home. But, when she was 6, the Fire Nation launched a full scale raid on the village. They wanted to claim the territory, and wanted more soldiers. The firebenders were kidnapped, while everyone else was killed," Sokka said, "Rayna lost both of her parents during the raid, and her older brother, Aram, was taken away from her. She and 4 other men were the only ones who managed to escape and survive the raid," he said.

Zuko stood frozen. He couldn't believe it, but it explained everything; why she was so understanding and used to nightmares, why she panicked at the very mention of her parents, why she traveled a lot, etc. He knew that Fire Nation raids were bad, but he never truly realized the extent to which they were willing to go. Rayna had no family, so that's why she referred to whoever she was traveling with as her family.

"When she and I were in Ba Sing Sae," Zuko stated, "she figured out that I was from the Fire Nation. She told me that she figured it out based on my appearance and my taste in food. When I did confirm it, she told me that she didn't care," he said, "She was the first, and only, person who didn't judge me for being Fire Nation," he smiled.

Sokka smiled, "That's our Ray,"

Zuko's smile vanished into a frown, "She was the first, and only, person who didn't judge me…and yet…I said some really hurtful things to her the other night. I basically told her she was a liar…and I accused her of hating me because I was the Prince of the Fire Nation. I didn't give her the benefit of the doubt, and just assumed she was like every other outsider in the world," he said solemnly.

Sokka sighed, "You were probably angry and caught up in the moment. Rayna is a very stubborn person, and sometimes that can really get people riled up. I'm not saying that what you said was okay, because it definitely wasn't. I'm saying that you shouldn't be too harsh on yourself, after all you can be really irrational when you're angry," he said.

Zuko paused for a bit, "Thanks, Sokka. Who knew you could be a nice caring person?"

"What can I say, I'm a man of mystery. There's much more to me than the sarcastic meat lover," Sokka grinned.

The rest of the ride was in silence. Little did they know who they'd meet at the Boiling Rock.


	10. A Piece of Her Past

After Sokka and Zuko left, Rayna had managed to calm herself down. She wasn't having continuous flashbacks, and she had managed to get some sleep. She was back in her normal routine of cooking for everyone, went on walks, would do practice fights (against Haru, Toph, Katara, or Aang), and even trained Aang a little bit (she showed him ways to counterattack the fire bending moves he'd recently learned).

Meanwhile, with Zuko gone, The Duke was trying to be Rayna's little Romeo. He would grab her flowers, offer to help her with cooking, complimented her, cheer her on while she was in a practice fight, bring her water during training sessions, and followed her around like a little duckling. At night, he'd asked Rayna if she would sleep next to him, since he missed Pipsqueak. Rayna wasn't bothered by The Duke's attachment to her; she found it quite cute and sweet. She didn't really have any intention to marry The Duke (since she was twice his age), but she told him that she would wait for him.

Despite being back in her normal routine and being showered with affection, she still was a little depressed. It wasn't only about her family anymore; it was also about Zuko now. She wasn't proud of how she reacted during their conversation, especially when she slapped him. Her father told her that boys should never hit girls, and her mother added that girls should never hit boys. Morro told her not to strike someone unless they strike you first. With just one action, she'd gone against her parents and her guardian's wishes. True, he wasn't listening to her and accusing her of being someone she was not. However, he didn't deserve to be slapped; she should've just walked away instead of hitting him.

 _I will apologize to him once he gets back_ , she told herself. _It's my responsibility and duty as a friend to apologize for my mistakes_.

For Zuko and Sokka, without delay, chaos ensued at the Boiling Rock. First, Zuko was discovered and arrested on the spot. Second, Chit Sang got involved in their plan. Third, and finally, Sokka, Zuko, and Suki abandoned their first chance to escape and stayed on the island in hope that Sokka's dad would arrive. They were taking a huge risk; if Hakoda wasn't there, then they had lost their only chance of escaping. Thankfully, Hakoda had arrived on the island. Sokka was so focused on his dad, that he didn't notice the last person who left the gondola and followed behind Hakoda.

Sokka watched on as the warden laid down the law and rules for the prison, while also mentioning the prison's history for being inescapable. Although Hakoda was trying to stand his ground, the warden pushed him down onto the ground for defying his orders to look him in the eye. However, Hakoda tricked the warden and tripped him. Sokka couldn't help but snicker.

"Who laughed?!" the warden angrily shouted.

Sokka immediately sunk down in fear as the warden looked around for the person who had snickered. Sokka thought he snickered quietly, but now he was going to get the beating of his life and not be able to escape. However, it wasn't Sokka's snicker that the warden heard.

A small laugh broke the intense silence. Sokka looked up to see the man standing next to Hakoda laughing. He looked like he was in his early 20s, he had dark curly brown hair, soft blue eyes, and light colored skin. He was fairly tall and was lean and muscular. He sported a smirk on his face that looked awfully familiar to Sokka.

The warden marched over to the prisoner, "Oh…oh I know who you are," he said menacingly, "You're our little celebrity, aren't you? You hold the Fire Nation record for the prisoner with the most escapes as well as the most prison transfers,"

"What can I say? I'm a pretty big deal," the prisoner smirked.

"Oh yes, yes indeed you are," the warden responded, "You've been playing this little game of yours for 10 years. Countless wardens have even quit their positions because of what a headache you were," he growled, "But let me make one thing clear. You are in my territory now, and I will make you into a mind-numbing obedient prisoner by all and any means necessary,"

"Looking forward to it, buddy," the prisoner patronized.

The warden glared at him, "I've got my eye on you, Aram of Zai. I'll be watching your every move like a hawk," he growled.

Sokka and Zuko's eyes went wide. _Aram of Zai_ , they thought. _Is he…is he Rayna's long lost brother?!_ It couldn't be, could it? He looked nothing like Rayna! Then again, Aram wasn't a common name to begin with, and he was also from Zai.

Aram smirked at the warden, "Don't worry, warden. I'll be sure to put on a little show for you, just for your own entertainment in this hell hole,"

As Aram was being dragged away by the guards, Sokka was racking his brain trying to figure out if this was Rayna's brother. He kept telling himself that they looked nothing alike. However, he thought back to Aram's smirk and how his exact expression seemed so familiar to him. Then it hit him; Aram's smirk looked exactly the same as Rayna's signature smirk. Now that he thought even more about it, even Aram and Rayna's laughs sounded similar. He also recalled one of Rayna's guardians telling him that Aram was 7 years older than Rayna, which would fit perfectly for his age.

"Sokka," Zuko said, "That guy, Aram. Do you think that…?"

"Yes," Sokka immediately responded, "That has to be Rayna's brother,"

"Wait," Suki interrupted, "Since when does Rayna have a brother? And how do you know it's him? They don't even look alike," she asked.

"Rayna never mentioned her brother since he's been missing for 10 years," Sokka said, "Her brother's name was Aram, he was 7 years older than her, and he and Rayna grew up in Zai. How many people do you know named Aram? And ones that are from Zai, for that matter?" he said.

"Now that I think about it," Zuko mentioned, "They make the same expression when they smirk,"

"Yeah, well, I was going to say that," Sokka said.

"Even their laughs sound similar!" Zuko interrupted.

"Again, I was going to say that," Sokka said, "Stop stealing my lines!"

"Okay, even if this is Rayna's brother, what are we supposed to do? We don't know what type of guy he is!" Suki said.

"Besides, how exactly are we going to convince him that we know Rayna?" Zuko added, "He probably thinks she's dead,"

"Look, I know this is a risk, and I also know that I've made both of you take a lot of risks, but we owe it to Rayna. If this really is Aram, then Rayna will have her brother back— he's the only family she has left," Sokka said, "Besides, Zuko, you're looking for a way to make up with Rayna, right? I'm pretty sure bringing back her brother would score you some points," he added.

Zuko blushed from embarrassment at Sokka's comment, but he knew that Sokka had an excellent point, "Okay, fine. I'm in," he said.

Suki paused for a bit, still unsure of what she should do. She looked over and saw Sokka giving her the puppy eyes, so she sighed, "I'll help too," she said, "Just tell us what to do,"

"Okay, here's the plan—," Sokka said.


	11. The Escape Plan

Everything was set to go; Sokka met up with Hakoda and devised a plan for them to escape, and Sokka informed Suki and Zuko of their new plan. There was one big problem, though; Sokka had no idea where Aram was being kept. He'd heard that they'd place Aram in a "special" cell which was fairly hidden and out of reach. Only the warden and a select few guards knew of the cell's location and how to access it. Sokka only had one clue as to where the cell was located; he knew it had to be near the warden's corridor and the cooler's.

The chances of Sokka actually finding Aram's cell and being able to talk with him were very slim, but Sokka refused to give up. Rayna was his best friend, and she meant the world to him. She'd done so much for him that this was the least he could do for her. Besides, he wanted to see Rayna smile again. Lately, she'd been so detached and depressed that she was practically lifeless; she truly was the girl with hair black as death, skin as pale as a ghost, and eyes as gray as misery. Furthermore, he worried what would happen to her if she continued living like that; what she would do to herself if she continued on like this. Reuniting her with Aram was Sokka's last chance to revive her.

Meanwhile, Zuko was dealing with his own problem; Mai. She'd found him, and now he was paying the price for breaking her heart. He never meant to hurt her or to get her involved with his own problems, but clearly he couldn't have prevented that. Now, Mai was distracting him from the escape plan. He wanted to set things right with her and make her understand, but she was stubborn and wasn't willing to listen to his petty excuses.

"Who is she?" Mai demanded.

"Who is who?" Zuko responded.

"Don't play dumb with me. You've already lied to me; I deserve to know the truth!" she shouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he snapped back.

"Oh really?" she said as she grabbed the letter, "'My destiny lies somewhere else, and with someone else,'" she read, "Who is this 'someone else'?" she demanded.

Zuko eyes went wide. He completely forgot that he had written that; then again, he thought he'd never see Mai again after he left. He wanted to lie to her and tell her that he was talking about the avatar, but she would never believe him and he couldn't keep lying.

"That doesn't matter," he said. _Seriously? 'That doesn't matter'? Why would I even say that? God, why I am so bad about telling the truth?!_

"Actually, it does!" she cried, "Do you realize how much you've hurt me? I loved you, and you lied to me!"

"Stop it," he said.

"No!" she snapped back, "I won't stop. Not until you have the guts to look me in the eye and tell me the truth,"

Zuko sat in silence. He wanted to tell her, but he couldn't; what if he told her, and she went after Rayna? He'd already messed up enough; he couldn't risk dragging Rayna down anymore. He wanted to make things right with Mai and Rayna, but he wasn't sure if he'd be able to.

Meanwhile, Sokka had been asking around about the infamous prisoner, but to no avail. Guards either refused to respond or they genuinely had no idea. Even the higher ranked guards had no idea about Aram's whereabouts. After no success, he just wanted to give up and deal with the consequences. They only had 25 minutes to make it to the yard and start the prison riot; at the rate he was going, he'd never be able to find Aram in time. However, the fates turned in Sokka's favor.

"Yo, rookie," a guard called out.

Sokka immediately turned around, "Who me?"

"Yeah you," the guard said, "We need you to take the watch of our 'celebrity' prisoner,"

Sokka's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open, "M-m-me?"

"Yeah, you!" the guard snapped, "The warden heard how you roughed up one of the prisoners, and he thinks you have what it takes to keep an eye on our toughest prisoner. Besides, the guard who was supposed to be taking care of him is being interrogated for the escape attempt," the guard turned around, "Come on! Get a move on! Unless you want the warden to question his decision?"

"Uh no! Coming along. I can handle this prisoner no problem. He'll be crying by the time I'm done with him," Sokka boasted.

"We don't need you to rough him up," the guard hissed, "Just keep an eye on him and report of any suspicious activity or behavior,"

"Of course," Sokka said.

Sokka followed the guard down a dark corridor. There was no light except for the fire bending of the guard, it was freezing, and, frankly, terrifying. Finally, they stopped at a large, thick, metal door with about 10 different locks. Sokka stared at the locks in intimidation; was Aram really that bad that he needed to be confined behind so many locks? The guard quickly pulled out a single key and started unlocking the door.

"Only one key?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah," the guard answered, "The truth is, there is only one functioning lock. We have all these locks to make it look like the door is more complicated than it really is. Besides, the lock you actually use is hidden behind these other locks," the guard pointed out the secret lock to Sokka.

Sokka stared in amazement, "Wow. So why is the real lock hidden?"

"To prevent people from trying to break out the prisoner. This guy is notorious for schmoozing prison guards and convincing them to release him. That's why the warden only has three guards who actually know the location of the cell. Also if someone does find it, they won't be able to figure out which lock to use and they'll be stuck," the guard said as he opened the cell door, "Here's the key. Be careful," the guard said as he walked away, "Can you fire bend?"

"Uh no," Sokka admitted.

"That's fine," the guard said. He quickly pulled out a torch and lit it for Sokka, "This is the only light you'll have in there, so be careful. Also, it's pretty cold so hopefully you can handle it,"

"I'll be fine," Sokka said. The guard nodded and walked away. Sokka took a deep breath and entered the cell.

The guard wasn't kidding, the cell was freezing and it was even darker than the corridor. Sokka started walking down the hallway towards the actual cell. He couldn't help but shake from fear; this place was creepier than Hama's house. After walking down the long hallway, he finally reached the actually cell. Even with the torch, he could barely see inside the cell.

"Sup?" a voice said.

Sokka freaked out and almost dropped the torch. The deep voice had broken the silence and surprised Sokka. "Um…hello?" Sokka asked.

A light came from the cell and Sokka saw Aram situated in the corner. "I have to admit, I'm pretty surprised. So far, the guards haven't walked all the way to my cell. And you're the first one that isn't a fire bender," Aram said nonchalantly, "Name's Aram, but I guess you knew that already,"

"Um yeah," Sokka said.

"Look, I don't plan on escaping or trying anything funny so there's nothing for you to worry about," Aram sighed.

"Actually, I'm not worried about that," Sokka said, "In fact, I want to bust you out of here," he admitted.

Aram looked up at Sokka with a confused face, "Wait, what?"

"Look, I don't have much time to explain, so I need you to listen," Sokka said, "I know who you are,"

"Um doesn't everyone? I'm Aram of Zai, the infamous prisoner with all the records for escaping and blah blah blah," Aram responded.

"No, not that. I mean, I know your name is Aram and you're from Zai, but I know who you really are," Sokka said, "You were born in Zai in 76 AG to your mom and dad in Zai. In 83 AG, your mom gave birth to your little sister, Rayna. Your mom was an earth bender, your dad was a water bender, and you're a fire bender,"

"Wait how do you…," Aram started.

"In 89 AG, the Fire Nation raided your village to claim it as their territory and they captured fire benders. Your mom and dad were both killed during battle, and you were captured. As you were being dragged away, you saw your little sister being held by her throat against a tree by a soldier," Sokka continued.

"Stop it…what is this, a new torture method?" Aram demanded.

"No, wait, please," Sokka said, "You never actually saw your little sister be killed by the soldier because you were dragged away before you could see anything, so there is a chance she was never killed…"

"Listen, asshole," Aram said as he reached through the bars and grabbed Sokka by the throat, "I spent years trying to convince myself that my little sister was still alive since I never saw her be killed, but I now I know I was only doing that to maintain what little sanity I had left. I don't know who you are or how you know this, but I'm warning you if you keep this up I will strangle you," he said menacingly as he gripped Sokka's throat.

"Wait. Please," Sokka said while chocking, "Rayna is alive. She was saved by Saber, Zed, Loch, and Morro. I know her, and I travel with her," Sokka said, barely able to breathe.

"Why should I believe a thing you say?" Aram growled.

"Because I'm telling the truth," Sokka chocked, "She has black hair, gray eyes, and pale skin. She was named Rayna because your parents said she was a 'ray' of sunshine on a 'rainy' day," he was suffocating, "P-p-please…you…have to…believe…,"

Aram dropped Sokka onto the ground, in complete shock. He spent so many years trying to convince himself that Rayna was dead, but now she might actually be alive. "I swear, if you're dicking with me—," he started.

"I promise, I'm not," Sokka said still trying to catch his breath, "Rayna has been traveling with my sister, our friend, the avatar, and I since spring,"

"She's a bender?" Aram asked.

"No, just a really good fighter," Sokka said, "Look, you have to believe me. Rayna is my best friend, and, right now, she really needs you— you're the only family she has left,"

Aram started tearing up and slowly sunk down to the ground, "I-I-I can't believe it," he started to cry, "All this time…I thought she was…," he stopped himself and wiped away his tears, "What do you need me to do?"

Sokka smiled, "Okay, here's the plan—,"


	12. The Escape

"This is what I'm thinking," Sokka said, "I'll leave the cell and 'forget' to lock it. While I'm telling another guard that the Warden wants the prisoners out in the courtyard, you sneak out of your cell and go out into the courtyard. Then we'll all meet up and then BAM! We've escaped," he smiled.

"Nice plan," Aram said, "But we have one problem— it's nearly impossible to sneak out of my cell unnoticed. There's only one pathway to the courtyard from here, and it's crawling with prison guards," he stated.

"Oh, right," Sokka said. Sokka went into his full concentration thinking mode and pondered other possibilities. Aram stared at Sokka, unsure whether or not he was thinking or was very constipated.

"Wait!" Sokka said, "What if I walk you out of here?" he proposed.

"Excuse me?" Aram asked.

"We can pretend that the warden has summoned you so I need to bring you to him. You'll have all your shackles and chains on so no one will suspect a thing. Once we reach a safe point, I'll unlock your chains and you can run out into the courtyard,"

"Hey, that's good enough for me," Aram shrugged, "Just tell me who I'm supposed to meet in the courtyard,"

"Well there's Zuko, Suki, and my dad. If you can't find me, look for Zuko; he has a giant scar over his left eye,"

"Cool, let's do this," Aram smirked.

As Aram was being dragged away in chains by Sokka, they walked in complete silence. Sokka wanted to talk with Aram and ask him questions about his past or even present, but he was still upset about Aram almost killing him. He knew that he should trust Aram, and that Aram was a good guy…but Aram did threaten to kill him and chocked him. Aram was clearly a very strong man who wasn't afraid to use violence, so Sokka wanted to be careful.

On the other hand, Aram was still suspicious of Sokka. After the Fire Nation raid, he wasn't trustful towards anyone. During the raid, some of the citizens, who were fire benders, joined the soldiers and fought the other villagers. People he'd considered his friends, neighbors, and elders had betrayed him and his family. After that, he vowed to never trust anyone again. The only reason he listened to Sokka was because of Rayna. No one outside of his family would know where her name came from, so Sokka obviously learned something from a credible source. Besides, even if this was a trap, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if Rayna actually was out there and he didn't save her.

"Hey," Aram said.

Aram's voice shocked Sokka a little bit, "What?" he replied.

"What's she like? You know, Rayna," Aram asked.

Sokka paused for a bit, thinking about all the possible ways to describe Rayna. "Well, she's…nice," he said.

"Look, I'm still not sure I can trust you," Aram said coldly, "You can at least give me more details. Telling me that she's nice isn't very convincing," he said.

Sokka gulped, "Um…you two have the same smirk and laugh," he said, "That's how I recognized you as her brother. Well that and your name. I mean, there aren't many Aram's out in the world. And I knew she was from Zai, so that helped too," he continued, "Besides, you guys don't look alike. Sure, you both have curly hair but still. You have blue eyes, while she has gray eyes; You have dark brown hair, while she has black hair; You have light and pale-ish skin, while she has very pale, almost white, skin," he said.

Aram smiled a bit at Sokka's response, "It's not much, but I'll take it,"

Sokka smiled back, "She's not a bad person, if you're worried about that. She's a good person, but she's just complicated at times,"

"Considering what we've been through, I'm not surprised that she can be complicated," Aram responded, "Hey…is she…dating…?" he asked, "I'm her big brother and I need to be aware of these things. Besides, since my dad isn't her, now I have to beat up any guys who try to date her," he said, "I'm also supposed to kill anyone who even dares to break her heart," he said menacingly.

Sokka's eyes went wide once he remembered that Zuko was technically Rayna's ex-boyfriend. He wasn't in the mood to tell Aram that Rayna's first boyfriend completely broke her heart and betrayed her, as well as leave a permanent scar on her right shoulder. "Um…no. Not right now," he said, "I mean she has been proposed to by an 8-year-old and has two or three secret admirers but nothing serious," he said.

"What about you?" Aram asked, "You don't have any feelings for her, do you?" he asked, slightly more menacing.

"Me? No way," Sokka said, "Besides, she'd rather be imprisoned than marry me,"

"Don't sell yourself short, man," Aram said.

"Oh no, she explicitly told me that she'd rather be imprisoned than marry me," Sokka admitted, "When we were hiding out in the Fire Nation, we had to pretend to be husband and wife since the avatar got in trouble at school and had to go see the principal," he said, "Back in those days, we were Mister and Misses Fire. I was the devilishly handsome father, Wayne Fire, and she was the mother, Sapphire Fire," he stated.

Aram gave Sokka a weird look, "Oh, okay, well as long as she's not in a relationship…I guess,"

"No problem, bud," Sokka smiled.

Sokka and Aram had finally reached a safe spot, and Sokka unchained Aram. As Aram continued to stay hidden, Sokka ran off and convinced a prison guard to release all the prisoners to the courtyard; warden's orders of course. The moment everyone was released, Aram immediately went to blend in with the group of prisoners and walked out to the courtyard.

Aram managed to find Sokka, who was with Suki and Hakoda, in the courtyard.

"Suki this is Rayna's brother, Aram," Sokka said, "Aram this is Suki, my girlfriend," he said.

"Nice to meet you, girlfriend of Sokka," Aram said.

"Nice to meet you too, brother of Rayna," Suki smiled.

"And this is my dad," Sokka said as he pointed to Hakoda.

"You can just call me Hakoda," Hakoda smiled as he shook Aram's hand.

"Nice to meet you, sir," Aram smiled.

"This is it! We have to start a riot," Sokka said.

"Okay. But how do we do that?" Suki asked.

"I'll show you," Hakoda said with a smug smile.

Hakoda walked over to a big, tough-looking prisoner and shoved him, but to no avail. Turns out this specific prisoner was working on his anger management, and therefore wasn't mad at Hakoda. Aram couldn't help but laugh a little bit, but he was quickly silenced by Hakoda's glare.

Suddenly, a big hulking shadow looms over Sokka and grips him by the shoulder. Sokka turns in fear only to find that it was Chit Sang.

"Hey you! You're lucky I didn't rat you out…," he started to say.

"Chit Sang?" Aram asked as he looked over.

"Aram?" Chit Sang asked as he looked back at Aram.

"Bro!" they both cried and they ran into a bro hug. Turns out that Chit Sang and Aram had been cellmates in a different prison a few years back, and they had become good friends. Apparently, they were notorious trouble makers and we're called 'the demon pair'. Chit Sang was sent to the boiling rock after spending his time at the past prison, while Aram was transferred to a different prison.

"Man, how long has it been?" Aram smiled.

"Too long," Chit Sang smiled back.

Aram suddenly had an idea, "Hey, so remember back in the old days when we'd randomly start prison riots just to bother the guards?"

Chit Sang chuckled, "Oh yeah, man, those were the good old days,"

"Well," Aram smiled, "we're trying to escape right now, but we need a riot. Do you want to do it like the old days?"

Chit Sang smiled back at Aram, "Just like the old days,"

Suddenly, Aram grabbed Chit Sang and lifted him up into the air and bounced him up and down. "HEY!" Chit Sang screamed, getting all the prisoners attention, "RIOT!" he hollered before Aram launched him down onto the ground. Suddenly, everyone broke out into a riot, even the prisoner who was working on his anger management. Aram and Chit Sang laughed and high fived each other, while Hakoda, Suki, and Sokka stared in shock.

Hakoda walked over and put his hand on Aram's shoulder, "Impressive," he admitted.

"Oh what, that? Please, that was nothing," Aram said as he stroked his own ego.

Meanwhile, Zuko was still trapped with Mai. They weren't even talking to each other; there was just a deadly tension between them. Mai had every right to be furious with Zuko, breaking a teenage girl's heart is one of the worst things you can do. To top it off, he lied to Mai. You'd think he'd stop lying to his girlfriends after what happened with Rayna, but apparently old habits die hard. He tried to convince himself that he wrote her a letter so she couldn't stop him or try to get involved, but he knew that he secretly did not want to face her. He was a heartbreaker, a liar, and a coward; truly a perfect man.

Out of the blue, a male guard burst into the cell, claiming he is there to protect Mai (even though she clearly doesn't need protection). While the guard insisted on protecting Mai, Zuko blasted fire at the guard and sprinted towards the door. Mai immediately chased after him, but he had closed the cell and locked the door before she could reach them. Zuko looked at Mai through the slit, while she angrily glared at him.

"I hope she breaks your heart," Mai said coldly. Zuko looked away from her and ran off to the courtyard, "Then you'll know what it feels like," she whispered to herself.

Zuko managed to reach the courtyard and find everyone just in time. When he arrived, he saw Aram slam a guard into the ground. A sense of fear fell over him as he realized that that man was Rayna's brother.

"Zuko! Good, we're all here," Sokka said. Aram walked over to the group, "Oh yeah," he remembered, "Zuko this is Aram, and Aram this is Zuko," he introduced them.

Zuko quickly shook Aram's hand, but immediately looked away afterwards. Aram knew something was going on with Zuko, but he knew that it wasn't the time to ask. At the same time, Zuko's face seemed very familiar to him. He wasn't sure if he'd met him before, or if he knew someone related to him, or if he just had a familiar face. Although he really wanted to ask Zuko about who he was or where he came from, Aram kept telling himself to wait until they'd escaped.

They'd managed to kidnap the warden and escape on the gondola all in one piece. Granted, they were on the verge of death when the gondola was being cut by other guards, but nonetheless it was a very smooth escape. After telling the warden to stick it where the sun doesn't shine, Aram and the others stole Azula's airship and set course towards the Western Air Temple.


	13. Aram

During the ride, Aram was silent. He couldn't stop thinking about seeing Rayna again. Would she recognize him? Would she be happy to see him? Would he even recognize her? His mind was buzzing with questions and fears. What if something had happened to her while Sokka was gone? What if she didn't want to see him? What if she hated him for never coming back for her? For not trying harder to escape? For letting her almost die? It'd been 10 years since he last saw her, and, frankly, he was terrified to see her again.

"Hey," Zuko said as he sat himself down by Aram. Zuko's voice managed to snap Aram out of his thoughts, but also surprise him a little.

"Oh, hey," Aram said, "Zuko, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Zuko replied.

"Cool," Aram said.

They sat next to each other in silence, neither knew what to talk about. Obviously they could talk about Rayna, but neither of them wanted to bring her up. Aram was still processing the idea of seeing her after 10 years, while Zuko wasn't sure whether or not it was his place to talk about her. They continued to sit in silence, until Aram talked.

"Hey, have we met before?" Aram asked, "You just have this really familiar face that I swear I've seen before," he said.

"I doubt it," Zuko said.

"Are you sure? Because there is just something eerily familiar about your face, and it's really bothering me. What are you, 16 or 17 years old? You're about the same age as Rayna, right? Obviously you're not from Zai, so where are you from? Who are you for that matter?" Aram kept asking.

Zuko felt uncomfortable being questioned by Aram; he was worried he'd accidentally tell him something about his and Rayna's past relationship. Also, Aram had been a Fire Nation prisoner for 10 years, so he probably wouldn't be too happy to learn that Zuko was the Prince of the Fire Nation, heir to the throne, etc. On the other hand, he was tired of lying about who he was or his past.

"I'm Zuko, Crowned Prince of the Fire Nation and heir to the throne…or I was…," he admitted. He sat in silence, waiting for Aram to walk away or yell at him. However, much to his surprise, he was greeted by a giant, strong pat on the back (which nearly knocked him over).

"Of course!" Aram said as he continued to pat Zuko on the back, "You're Ursa's son! God, I really am getting old. I can't believe it took me so long to remember!" he laughed.

Zuko looked at Aram in shock, "Ursa? You mean my mom?"

"Yeah," Aram smiled, "When I was about 18 years old, I was incarcerated in the prison tower right by the Royal Palace. A few months earlier, I'd escaped prison for maybe the…um…5th time, I think? Anyway, I was pretty infamous for escaping prison. When I was imprisoned, your mom would pay me a visit every now and then," he said.

"Why would she do that?" Zuko asked.

"Well, the first time was because your dad came to threaten me or something and she accompanied him. After my last escape, I'd managed to make my way back to Zai. I went there hoping I'd find Rayna or some other survivors, even if it'd been 5 years since the raid. When I was there, I realized it was a completely abandoned ghost town…those bastards captured it but they never even used it…," Aram said, trying to hold back his anger and tears, "Anyway, I never found Rayna. I only found her old stuffed bear, which looked like it hadn't been touched in years, and my family's old house. I guess since the town was abandoned and her bear was still there, I finally told myself she was dead…I didn't even protest when I got dragged back to prison…I had nothing left to live for once I told myself Rayna was dead, so I just accepted prison…I was going to rot to death in there anyway…," he said as his tone became more depressed and his eyes lost their light.

Zuko put his hand on Aram's shoulder and Aram snapped out of it, "You don't need to tell me everything. I don't want you depressing yourself like that," he said.

Aram smiled a little bit and wiped his eyes, "Sorry, it's just a lot of baggage for someone to carry, you know?" he said, "But I want to finish the story," he smiled, "Don't worry, it's good to get these things off my chest," he said.

"Alright," Zuko responded, "So, why did my mom come visit you again?"

Aram did a deep exhale, "When I was back home, I'd managed to find three somewhat intact pictures of my family and I. I had them on my possession while your dad was threatening me. He found them and took them away from me; he even burned one of them just for the sheer pleasure of torturing me. I didn't react while he was doing it, but after he left, I just cried," he said, "Your mom must've heard me, because later that night she came back to my cell and returned the other two pictures to me," he smiled, "When she returned them, I cried and hugged her…," he admitted, slightly embarrassed, "After that, she'd come visit me every now and then so she could talk to me. She was so kind, caring, and loving to me. Without her, I wouldn't have made it," he smiled.

Zuko felt himself smile and start to tear up. He loved his mom so much, and he really missed her. There were times when he really needed her, but she wasn't there. After she left, his world completely crashed. He felt so alone and weak without her.

As Zuko wept a little bit, he felt Aram's put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey," Aram said comfortingly, "She really loved you and your sister," he said gently, "She always talked about you; what an amazing kid you were, how proud she was of you, and how happy you made her. She was always so worried about Azula, and she worried that Azula was going to turn out like your dad. You two were her whole world," he smiled.

Zuko wiped away his tears, "Thanks," he said.

"Just telling the truth," Aram winked.

Zuko laughed a little bit, "You two even have the same wink…,"

"Apparently we have the same smirk too, and the same laugh according to Sokka," Aram said.

Aram reached into his shirt and pulled out two small pictures, "She was about 2 or 3 years old in this picture, while I as maybe 9 or 10 years old," he said, "My mom wanted a new family portrait to hang up in the house, since the last one they had was only of her and my dad when she was maybe 7 months pregnant with me," he handed the picture over to Zuko, "That's my mom, Izumi" he pointed to the woman, "And that's my dad, Kai," he pointed to the man.

Zuko stared at the picture. Rayna looked like both of her parents, and so did Aram. Kai was very tall, while Izumi was fairly average height; Kai was super muscular and lean, while Izumi was toned and curvy; Kai had a low man bun, while Izumi had very long curly, wavy hair; Kai had a happy smile, while Izumi had a sweet smile. In the picture, Kai was standing and holding Aram, who was wrapped around his shoulder and had an amused smile (and he was also missing a tooth); Izumi was sitting and holding Rayna, who was somewhat hiding in her chest and had a very shy expression. Zuko smiled; even as a baby, Rayna was still cute.

"Both of our parents had pale skin," Aram interrupted Zuko's thoughts, "Our dad had dark brown hair and gray eyes, while our mom had black hair and blue eyes. You can't really see it, but our dad's hair was pretty curly," he said as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Rayna was really shy when she was little. She used to coward behind our dad whenever a stranger tried to talk with her. Even so, she was really sweet and gentle towards anyone she'd meet, human or animal. I, on the other hand, was really energetic and social, and was probably a big headache at times. My dad always chased me around and played with me…he's was a really good man. Rayna would play with me and we'd make up a lot of competitions, which I usually won and she'd usually get hurt," he smiled.

"Was were your parent's benders?" Zuko asked as he continued to look at the picture.

"Yup," Aram said, "Mom was an earth bender; a really damn good earth bender. Dad was a water bender; he was mostly known for his healing abilities,"

"Wait, your dad was a healer?" Sokka interrupted as he walked over to them.

"The best, and only, healer in the village," Aram stated proudly.

"I thought only females could heal…?" Sokka said.

"Nope, men can too. I guess it's just not as common for men to be healers. It was pretty useful, having a dad as a healer. Safe to say, I was a reckless kid who did dumb things, and I typically dragged Rayna into it…we got hurt…a lot," Aram laughed, "But our cuts, bruises, rashes, and burns were no match for our dad," he smiled.

"And your mom?" Sokka asked.

"She stayed at home and took care of Rayna and I. She was, however, trying to experiment with her earth bending. She believed that earth benders could bend anything with earth or rock minerals, like metal. She also believed that water benders could take water from any source, even from the air around us. She was always curious about the world around her," Aram said, "God, I've been talking forever. Sorry, guys, don't mind me," he shied away.

Sokka stood up and walked away, while Zuko just stayed by Aram. They once again sat in silence, but it wasn't as awkward as before. Zuko actually felt a little happy, hearing about Rayna's past and seeing the picture of her family. She looked like both of her parents; her dad was fairly handsome, and her mom was quite beautiful. Aram was obviously a good guy and some of his quirks resembled Rayna. Even though she wasn't smiling in the picture, she looked so happy and joyful. She had the same spark in her that she had the day she and Zuko had met. He blushed as he remembered the first day the met, which also was the day of their first date and their first kiss.

Aram was glancing at Zuko while Zuko was admiring the family photo. He noticed that Zuko was blushing and had a gentle smile on his face as he stared at the picture. He remembered that Sokka told him that Rayna had 'two or three secret admirers'; was Zuko one of them? As he glanced closer at Zuko, he noticed that Zuko's eyes were focused on Rayna's picture rather than the whole family. He then remembered how nervous Zuko seemed when they first met; Zuko quickly shook his hand, and didn't look him in the eye. Was Zuko nervous because Aram was Rayna's big brother?

"There's one more picture," Aram said, breaking the silence and startling Zuko. He took the picture from Zuko and pulled out another one, "We're a little older in this picture," he said as he handed the picture to Zuko, "She was at least 5 years old, and I was maybe 12 or 13. There was this really big, hidden pond nearby our village. It was rumored to be a spirit portal, so people weren't allowed to swim in it," he said, "Rayna loved that pond and always wanted to go there. She believed that it was a home for spirits, and the pathway and trees helped show the spirits the way to the pond. She took care of the pond and the area around it like it was her pet," he chuckled.

In this picture, Rayna was sitting on the grass by the pond with Aram. Aram was holding her, while she was holding onto a stuffed bear. Aram had a more mature smile; it was a more content than amused smile. Rayna, once again, was not smiling; she had a curious, doll-like expression on her face. Rayna was wearing a dress and she was barefoot. Zuko was slightly amazed to see Rayna in a dress, but he was even more amazed that it was a cute dress.

"Our mom made her that dress for her birthday," Aram said, as he noticed Zuko staring at her dress, "She was wearing a dress in the first picture; you just couldn't see it very well," he said as he showed Zuko the first picture again.

Zuko looked once more and realized that she was wearing a dress in the first picture as well. The dress in the first picture was long sleeved, ice blue, and appeared to go below her knees. The dress in the second picture was white with a periwinkle collar and trim, three-quarter length sleeved, and was about knee length.

"She doesn't like dresses now?" Aram asked.

"Yes. I mean yes she doesn't like dresses, not yes she does like dresses…because she doesn't like them…," Zuko said awkwardly.

Aram chuckled a little bit, "She liked wearing these dresses because she could twirl around in them and dance,"

"She danced? Wait, she twirled?" Zuko asked, slightly shocked.

"Oh yes. Our dad swore she would be an air bender because she'd always say that she was dancing with the wind," Aram chuckled, "Our family is full of late bloomers so she could miraculously start bending any day," he said.

"Wait when did you start bending?" Zuko asked.

"I was pretty early for our family; I learned I was a fire bender when I was maybe….10? 11? More likely 11. Our mom and dad didn't learn until they were at least 16 or 18," Aram replied, "Who knows? Maybe she's a bender," he said, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"What's up?" Zuko asked.

"Sokka was telling me that Rayna has a few admirers. You know, romantic admirers," Aram said, emphasizing the word romantic, "Do you have any idea who that'd be?" he asked, looking directly at Zuko.

Zuko froze with fear, _He knows. Sokka told him. He obviously knows. Okay, just play it cool and try to cover it up_ , he thought to himself. "Not that I know of…why?"

Aram shrugged, "Nothing much, just big brother stuff. Our dad was really against Rayna dating, even though mom claimed he was being overprotective. He told me that I need to instill fear on the hearts of the poor unfortunate souls who decided it was okay to date his daughter," he said, still looking at Zuko, "Also, he gave me full permission to harm them if they broke her heart or did anything in any way, shape, or form to cause her hurt or pain," he said, glaring at Zuko.

Zuko gulped, "If I hear anything, I'll let you know," he said, slightly shaking with fear.

Aram immediately smiled and slapped Zuko on his back, "Thanks, buddy!"

The remainder of the ride was in complete silence. Zuko was terrified of Aram; he seemed like such a laid-back, cool guy, but now he was horrifying and almost demonic. Aram smirked slightly as he looked at the terrified Zuko, realizing he'd accomplished his goal.

Finally, the airship landed at the Western Air Temple around nighttime. Aram was told to wait in the airship for Rayna, so it'd be more of a surprise and they could have a few moments. As Zuko and the others exited the airship, Zuko immediately noticed that Rayna wasn't there to greet them.

"Hey, where's Rayna?" Zuko asked.

"Isn't she sleeping or something?" Toph asked.

"Wait," Sokka said, "Rayna is sleeping?"

"Believe it or not, she's been sleeping like a baby since you two left," Katara said, "She might still be awake; she's out by the campfire," she said, unaware of why they wanted to find Rayna.

Sokka patted Zuko on the back and whispered to him, "You go get her, and take the credit," he smiled. Zuko smiled back and ran to get Rayna.

When Zuko made it to the campfire, he saw Rayna was asleep next to the Duke. She was holding onto the Duke like he was a doll, and she was curled up in fetal position and laying on her side. From Zuko's perspective, she looked like an innocent angel when she was sleeping; from a normal person's perspective, she looked like a human who was sleeping. Zuko gently woke up her, careful not to wake up the Duke.

"Hmm…?" Rayna mumbled as she pulled herself up, "Zuko…?"

"Come on, I need to show you something," Zuko said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

Rayna felt herself blushing as Zuko held her hand. It'd been a while since they'd held hands, and she was starting to remember how nice it was. She and Zuko finally reached the airship.

"You woke me up," she yawned, "To show me an airship?"

"Go inside," he smiled.

Rayna looked at him with a confused expression, but she rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders as she walked into the airship. Since she was still groggy, she couldn't see very well.

"Rayna?" a voice echoed.

Rayna turned around and saw a young man standing in the corner of the airship. She rubbed her eyes and focused her vision. Suddenly, her eyes went wide, "…Aram…?" she asked.

Aram nodded his head. Rayna's eyes immediately fled with tears and she ran into Aram's embrace. Aram was crying as he held on tightly to Rayna, and Rayna clung to him like a child. Rayna was crying so hard that she couldn't even talk; she'd never been so happy in her entire life. For a few minutes, Rayna cried into his chest while he held onto her. Eventually, they separated from the tight embrace.

"I forgot," Rayna cried, "how ugly you look when you cry," she laughed, with tears still streaming down her face.

Aram just laughed and kept crying. He pulled Rayna back into an embrace and was shaking with happiness, "I…I thought you…you were dead," he cried, "I thought I'd never be able to see you again…I thought I'd never be able to hold you again," he cried as he gripped tighter.

"Me too," she cried back, "I've missed you…I've missed you and mom and dad…I've missed you so much," she sobbed.

"I'm here now," he said as he stroked her head, "And I promise I will never leave you again,"


	14. Thank You

About an hour passed before Aram and Rayna left the airship. By then, everyone except Sokka and Zuko had gone to bed. As Aram and Rayna walked out of the airship, Zuko couldn't help but notice how different her demeanor was; to put it simply, she was happy. Somehow, she was even more beautiful than before. Zuko smiled a little bit as he looked at her.

"Hey," Aram said to Sokka and Zuko, "I just wanted to thank you guys, for everything. It may not be much for you, but this means the world to me," he smiled, "Anyway, I'm gonna go to bed," he yawned, "Rayna, you coming?" he asked.

"In a bit," she responded, "I need to talk to these dorks for a second," she smiled.

Aram nodded his head in response, and hugged her goodnight before he walked towards the campfire. Once he was out of sight, Rayna looked up at Sokka and Zuko, "I can't believe you guys," she laughed a bit.

"Hey, if it wasn't for Zuko, this wouldn't have happened," Sokka said as he winked at Zuko.

"Really?" Rayna asked, slightly shocked.

Zuko paused for a moment. This was his chance to possibly win Rayna back, and yet a certain guilt fell over him. He wanted Rayna to like him again, but he couldn't do it by thanking all the credit. Besides, Sokka did it because he wanted to see his friend smile again, whereas Zuko did it for his own selfish reason. "Actually," he said, "Sokka was the one who convinced us to get Aram to escape with us. He also did all of the planning and helped Aram escape his cell. He deserves the credit," he admitted.

Before Sokka could protest, Rayna immediately ran over and hugged him. At first, he was shocked by Rayna's sudden action, but eventually he hugged her back.

"Thank you," Rayna whispered to Sokka, with tears streaming down her face.

Sokka smiled, "I just wanted to see you smile again,"

Rayna chuckled, "Don't be so cheesy. Just accept my thank you,"

Sokka sighed, but smiled, "Alright, alright. Your welcome,"

Rayna let go of Sokka and scuffed his hair, "Much better," she smiled.

Rayna and Sokka hugged one last time before he began to walk towards the campfire. As he was walking, he paused and whispered into Zuko's ear, "Now's your chance,"

Rayna and Zuko stood in silence as Sokka walked off and left them alone. Neither of them were sure what to say, even though they had a million things they wanted to say. Both of them wanted to apologize; both of them wanted to make up.

"Hey…," they both said simultaneously, "You first," they both said, "No you first," they both said. They eventually chuckled, slightly embarrassed.

"I…um…," Rayna started to say.

"Want to go on a walk?" Zuko interrupted. Rayna looked up at him, slightly shocked. Zuko's face turned red, "I mean…if you want…," he mumbled.

Rayna weakly smiled, "Sure,"

"Okay," Zuko responded, hiding his face.

They then walked towards the stairs that led to the top. Although they were walking next to each other, there was a considerable amount of space between them. The air between them was awkward and almost tense. Even though Zuko asked her to go on a walk, he wasn't sure what to do.

They continued to walk for a little bit, in silence, until Rayna pointed to a patch of grass and said, "Want to sit down over there?"

"Okay," Zuko responded.

They walked to the patch of grass and got situated. While Zuko sat down on the patch, Rayna immediately lied down on her back and looked up at the stars.

"I do like the stars," Rayna said.

"What?" Zuko asked.

"You once asked me if I liked the stars, and I do," she said, "Looking up at them, it relaxes me and helps me think," she smiled.

"What do you think about?" he asked as he looked up at the stars.

"Anything really," she responded, "My place in the universe, my past, my present, my future, how infinite the universe may be, and so on. It clears my head," she said.

"That sounds nice," he said.

"Yeah," she smiled.

There was another moment of silence. Zuko looked over at Rayna, who was focused on the stars. Seeing her under the moonlight reminded him of how beautiful she was. It reminded him of their first date, when they were sitting at the fountain. Even then, the moonlight emphasized how beautiful she truly was. He realized that looking at the stars didn't relax him; looking at Rayna while she looked at the stars relaxed him.

"Hey, Rayna…about the other night…," he started to say.

"I know," she interrupted, "I'm sorry,"

"Wait, what?" he said.

"I didn't give you a chance to talk; I should've just listened to you, but I acted like a child and didn't give you the benefit of the doubt," she said, "Worst of all, I hurt you. I let my anger get the best of me, and I hit you…really hard…," she said.

"I deserved it…," he said.

"No, you didn't," she responded, "There is no excuse for hurting anyone, especially in a pathetic situation like that," she said.

"But I'm sorry too," he said.

"Why?" she said.

"Even if you don't think I deserved it, I had it coming. I got mad when you weren't listening to me, and I hated hearing you call our relationship a mistake. Then, I was the one who wouldn't listen to you. I spoke out of term, and accused you of being someone you're not. I didn't give you the benefit of the doubt either," he said.

"So…we're both sorry?" she asked.

"Seems that way," he responded.

"Well then," she said, "I'm sorry, and I accept your apology," she smiled.

Zuko smiled, "Thank you. I'm sorry, and I accept your apology as well,"

"Thank you," she said, "….um…Zuko?"

"Yes?"

"Even if Sokka did most of the work, you shouldn't sell yourself short. Whether you believe it or not, you helped my brother and brought us back together," she said, "So…thank you,"

She pulled herself up and gave Zuko a kiss on the cheek. Zuko felt himself blush as he soft lips gently touched his cheek. He wanted to turn his head and kiss her beautiful lips, but he knew he shouldn't. He simply sat there as Rayna kissed his cheek. She eventually lay back down on the ground.

"Also…let's just forget about Ba Sing Sae…," she said, "In the end, we both screwed up and suffered the consequences. Now that we're on the same team, I think we should just let it go and move on. We can be friends now," she said.

The word friend pierced Zuko in his heart. He didn't want to be friends with her, he wanted to be more than just a friend. He wanted to go back to the way things were in Ba Sing Sae; he wanted to love her again. He couldn't simply forget about Ba Sing Sae, and he doubted he'd be able to move on. But, if he told Rayna this, what if she back away from him? What if she only wanted to be friends with him? He knew he was asking a bit much for them to be together again, but that's all he wanted.

"Look…Rayna…," he started, "I know you want to move on and be friends, but I don't know if I can. After Ba Sing Sae, I couldn't stop thinking about you. No matter how hard I tried to forget, the guilt of what I did to you just weighed me down. Thoughts of you and that lasting image I had of you would keep me up at night and distract me during the day. I know you may not feel this way anymore…but I really love you," he said.

Rayna didn't respond, but Zuko continued to talk, "Look this sounds dumb and weird but…I feel like there's nobody out there for me, except you. I want you, I want you so badly, I want you to be there for me no matter what, I want to love you...I hate the thought that you don't care about me like I care about you...," he said.

Once again Rayna didn't respond, but Zuko continued, "I feel like there are tons of reasons why, but also no reason at all. But every time I look into your eyes, I feel it. My heart's always telling me that I love you," he said.

Rayna still didn't respond. "Please say something," he begged.

He looked over at her and saw that she had fallen asleep. At first, he felt irritated; he was sitting there, pouring his heart out to her, and she was just sleeping. But then, he calmed down; maybe it was good that she didn't hear him. Besides, it felt good to get those feelings off his chest, even if she wasn't listening.

He reached his hand over and gently stroked her cheek. It was just as smooth as it was before, if not smoother. He pushed the curls that had fallen in front of her face, and continued to stroke her cheek. _Oh well_ , he thought to himself, _I'll just have to tell her some other time…maybe when the time is right._

He then reached down and picked her up. He held her in his arms as he walked back towards the campfire. While he held her, he noticed that she clung onto him like a child. It reminded him of earlier, how she held onto the Duke like he was her doll. Even when she slept next to him in Ba Sing Sae, he remembered waking up from a nightmare to see her snuggling right into his chest. When she slept, he saw what little innocence remained with her.

When they reached the campfire, he gently placed her down onto her sleeping bag. The moment he set her down, she immediately laid on her side in a fetal position and held her arms out as if she was holding onto an invisible doll. He smiled as he watched her sleep, knowing full well how creepy it was.

Before he got up, he looked around the campfire to see if anyone was awake. When he realized that no one was, he reached down and kissed her forehead. As he kissed her forehead, she smiled in response, still asleep. He pulled himself away from her and gently smiled, "Goodnight…Rayna," he whispered.


	15. Realizations, and Goodbyes

A few days had passed since Zuko's failed confession to Rayna, and all seemed well. Rayna was smiling and laughing like she used to. Ever since Aram returned, she only felt joy in her heart. For the first time in a long time, she had a family again. Even though she'd considered Saber, Zed, Loch, and Morro her family, they didn't truly compare to having her actually brother back. At the same time, Aram was beyond content and was flourishing in his new environment. He was quite popular and well-liked by everyone in the group; he even showed Aang some firebending moves that he learned during military training (before he was sent to prison).

Aside from Rayna and Aram, everyone else seemed happy as well. Hakoda, Sokka, and Katara were once again reunited; Sokka and Suki continued their romantic relationship; Chit Sang had also become popular within the group; Aram had given the Duke permission to marry Rayna, when he was old enough. For a short while, it seemed that everything was at peace. Of course, in their world, peace didn't last very long.

The sound of an explosion immediately caused everyone to awaken; Princess Azula had returned, and she'd brought several Fire Nation airships which were fully equipped with bombs. Aram ran over to Rayna and grabbed her, ensuring her protection.

At some point, Rayna looked over and saw Zuko push Katara out of the path of falling rocks and landed on top of her. As she looked on, a tinge of jealously stabbed Rayna in the heart. She knew that Zuko was protecting Katara, and in doing so he landed on top of her; despite this, Rayna felt uneasy as she saw Zuko leaning over Katara. She, of course, didn't understand why she was feeling so uneasy about it.

Aram noticed that Rayna's gaze was fixed on Zuko and Katara, and frankly she looked irritated. By this point, Aram was completely aware of Zuko and Rayna's past relationship. He had convinced Rayna to tell him about everything that had happened and about her true feelings. Although Rayna claimed she just wanted to be friends with Zuko and didn't care who he dated, Aram could see from the look in her eyes that she wasn't pleased. Despite wanting to convince Rayna to forget about Zuko, he knew that it was impossible. For now, he could only hope that Zuko would never hurt her again; a statement he made very clear to Zuko.

Aram managed to avert Rayna's jealous gaze so they could safely escape Azula's hell. Although it seemed that they'd be able to escape through the tunnel no problem, Appa's temper tantrum proved otherwise. Despite many efforts to push him onwards, Appa refused to enter the tunnel as the temple continued to be bombarded.

"We need to split up," Sokka finally said, "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship," he said as he pointed to the tunnel.

Rayna immediately started heading for the tunnel; after ten years she finally had her brother back, there was no way she was going to leave him again.

"Rayna, what are you doing?" Sokka demanded.

"Just as you said; I'm taking the tunnel and getting to the airship," she quickly responded.

"No way," Sokka said, "You are a part of this team and you will stay with us whether you like it or not!"

"NO!" she snapped, "My family is more important. You guys will easily manage without me," she cried, "Come on Aram, we need to hurry,"

Aram was frozen in place. He wanted to stay with Rayna, and he'd promised that he would never leave her again. However, something didn't feel right. No matter how much he wanted her to go with him, he knew that her place was with the others. Sorrowfully, he bowed down his head and let go of her hand, "You have to go with them," he said.

"What?" Rayna responded, "No way! I refuse!"

"Rayna, please—," Aram started to say.

"No!" Rayna cried, "I won't be separated from my family again!" she wept, "I need you. You can't leave me again…," she ran into Aram's embrace.

Aram teared up, "We're not being separated like before, Rainy. I love you, and I want to stay by your side, but you belong with them," he said as he pointed to the others, "I'll be alright, I promise. After we've escaped, I'm going off to find Morro and the others. When this is all over, I promise I'll be with you again," he squeezed her tightly, "So please, you have to go with them now," he said.

Although Rayna wanted to protest and cry, she knew Aram wouldn't allow her to go with him. Frankly, she didn't want to stay with the group; she didn't feel needed anymore, she felt like a maid who cooked for them. She didn't see her purpose within the group; she was a nobody. However, she knew how stubborn Aram was, and she knew she might regret leaving her team. She swallowed her true feelings and hugged Aram tighter than she ever had before.

"Please…please stay safe…and please come back for me…," she cried.

"I promise," he smiled as he hugged her, "Oh, and one more thing…," he said.

Suddenly, Aram leaned down and whispered something into Rayna's ear. Upon hearing what he said, Rayna's eyes immediately went wide. No one knew what Aram had said to her, but no one cared enough to ask.

Finally, Rayna let go of Aram and climbed onto Appa. She watched tearfully as her brother vanished into the tunnel, fighting the urge to run after him. Appa then flew outside of the temple, protected by Toph's rock shield. As everything was going on, Rayna wasn't paying any particular attention to the action. What Aram had told her was still ringing within her ears and echoing throughout her body. She didn't even notice when Zuko fell off the airship and was caught by Katara. At the same time, no one noticed Rayna's unusual behavior as they were too focused on everything else.

Finally, they'd made camp and were settled in. Rayna had prepared food for everyone and was serving it, not paying attention whatsoever to the ensuing conversation. She was still impacted by what Aram had told her, and she couldn't stop thinking about it. Once again, no one noticed her behavior; no one noticed her at all for that matter. She'd become invisible to everyone.

"Ray?" a voice suddenly said.

Rayna snapped out of it and turned to see Sokka looking up at her. "What is it?" she asked.

"You going to eat, or can I take the leftovers?" Sokka asked.

She felt herself become annoyed, but she simply sighed and rolled her eyes, "Go ahead, I'm not hungry," she responded.

Sokka happily took the rest of the portions for himself. Normally, Rayna would've made a snide remark on Sokka's obsession with food (i.e. calling him a food gobbling pig), but she wasn't in the mood.

"Sokka?" she asked. She looked and saw Sokka's face stuffed full of food, "May I see the map?" she asked, once again not commenting on his gluttony.

Sokka swallowed his food in one big gulp, "Why?"

"No reason," she said.

"Then why should I give it to you?" he inquired.

"Because I'll spit in your food if you don't," she glared at him.

Rayna's icy, piercing, and horrifying death glare was enough to make Sokka give in and hand over the map. She didn't thank him, rather she just ran off to go look at it. About 20-30 minutes later, she returned the map to Sokka without saying a word. She then retired to her tent for the night; everyone unaware about what she was thinking.

Meanwhile, Zuko had been trying to make amends with Katara. He hadn't thought about Rayna all day, which was saying something. After that night, he'd been thinking about her nonstop and was trying to get close to her every chance he got. Rayna was blissfully unaware of what Zuko had said that night, so she acted normal around him. That's to say, she acted like her old self; witty, funny, smiley, confident, etc. She was acting like the girl he fell in love with. Even when Rayna apologized to him for falling asleep while he was talking and asked if he said anything important, he lied to her. Although part of him wanted to tell her everything, the other half didn't want to ruin their newly found friendship. He was happy to see her acting like she used to, and he worried that confessing to her again would make things uncomfortable between them.

But now, he was focusing all his efforts on how to win over Katara. He wanted to help her and prove that he was trustworthy and good. Perhaps in the back of his mind, he was praying that Rayna would trust him more if Katara started trusting him. Even the next day, thoughts of Rayna didn't cross Zuko's mind. Rayna herself didn't even appear during the day, claiming she wasn't feeling well and needed to rest. Therefore, they never saw each other before Zuko and Katara left.

During his and Katara's journey, however, Zuko couldn't help but think of Rayna. He remembered when Sokka told him about Rayna's past; how she watched her parents and her village be murdered and destroyed right before her eyes. She was only a 6-year-old girl, yet she saw the horrors of a war veteran.

 _Rayna doesn't hate people. Even if someone does something terrible to her, she still won't hate them; she thinks that there is good and bad in everyone, and that no one is predominantly evil or good_ , he remembered Sokka saying. Zuko wondered if Rayna would've tried to stop him and Katara, if she would've been angry at him for encouraging Katara to seek revenge. Despite everything she went through, Rayna refused to bring harm or death to anyone, even if they're Fire Nation. If she met her parents' killers, her brother's kidnapper, and her almost killer, would she attack? Would she realize that they deserve justice for their heinous crimes? In the end, even if she had to kill in order to save herself from being killed, she'd prefer to be killed. Zuko felt a slight bit of guilt come over him, realizing how disappointed Rayna must be in him.

When it came down to it, Zuko felt somewhat relieved when Katara didn't kill the man. Now Rayna couldn't really be disappointed in him, since they didn't do anything in the end. If anything, maybe she'd be proud of him for not killing the man.

They'd finally returned to the campsite after their long and tiring journey. Everyone was there waiting for them, waiting to hear about what happened. After talking it out and gaining Katara's trust, Zuko was pleased with himself. Even though he had falsely encouraged her, he was happy that he realized that violence wasn't always the answer. He was ready to see Rayna now, and clear up any misunderstandings she had with him.

"Hey, where's Rayna?"


	16. Gone

"Hey, where's Rayna?" Zuko asked.

Silence. Sokka, Suki, Aang, and Toph all bowed their heads and looked away from Zuko, incapable or unable to respond to his question. It was clear that something was wrong, or something had happened, or both.

"Where is Rayna," he asked again, this time more demanding.

Once again, silence. "Why aren't you guys responding?" he demanded, "Where is she?!" he yelled.

Sokka, Suki, and Aang all glanced at each other, a sort of uneasiness and worry fell across their faces. The atmosphere was tense and troubled, and no one could bring themselves to look at Zuko. After a long silent pause, Sokka, Suki, and Aang nodded at each other and looked over at Zuko.

"She's…gone," Aang mumbled.

Zuko's eyes immediately went wide with fear, "What? What do you mean she's gone?" he asked.

Sokka sighed and put his hand on Zuko's shoulder, "We haven't seen her since before you and Katara left," he said, "She just…disappeared,"

Zuko felt his entire body crawl with anxiety and fear, "But…how…how could—," he started to panic.

"We don't know. All we know is that she must have left some time either before or after you took off," Suki said, "We're really sorry—,"

"What are you sorry for? She's not dead, she's just missing. Haven't you guys been looking for her?!" Zuko demanded, angrily.

"We tried, but we couldn't cover much ground without Appa," Aang admitted.

"What if she was kidnapped?! What if she is lost?! How can you guys so easily give up?!" he shouted.

"We haven't given up!" Sokka snapped, "Ever since we found out she was missing, we've been searching for her nonstop! Look, we don't know where she would have gone or why she left, but we are trying!"

"That's not good enough!" Zuko yelled, "There has to be some indication or some clue as to where she went!" he shouted as he ran off towards the campsite.

Zuko ran to her tent, which was still perfectly intact. He immediately began rummaging through her tent, desperately trying to find some indication of where she could be. He practically destroyed the tent as he looked for clues, but to no avail. The only missing things were her bag and her cloak, but those weren't much of a clue.

Zuko felt himself panic and his mind was racing with horrible thoughts as to what happened to her. If her bag was gone, it probably meant that she left on her own accord. Even though it should be a relief to Zuko, knowing that she wasn't kidnapped, he couldn't calm down.

Everyone looked on as Zuko was losing his mind. They wanted to help, but they were at a loss as to what they should do. Normally if Rayna was going somewhere, she'd either tell someone or write a note. At the same time, she was never gone for more than a few hours. No one could think of any reason as to why she would suddenly disappear without a trace.

Sokka eventually ran over to Zuko and smacked him across the face, "Look, we won't get anywhere if you're freaking out like a maniac! You want to find her, don't you? If so, then you need to calm down!" he shouted at Zuko.

"Let's think about this rationally," Katara said, "She obviously couldn't have gotten very far on foot, which means she isn't too far away. More importantly, we need to think about why she would leave all of the sudden," she firmly stated.

"You're right," Aang said, "The day she disappeared, what was she doing?" he asked.

"All I remember is that she told me she wasn't feeling well, and she wasn't lying," Toph said.

"In the end, she just stayed in her tent all day," Suki said.

"Okay, well…what about the day before?" Aang said.

"Well, she did get separated from Aram, so she was probably sad about that," Toph said, "Other than that, she was pretty quiet for the rest of the day…to be honest, I didn't really notice her," she admitted.

"Do you think she went after Aram?" Katara asked.

"I don't know. Although it seems likely, Aram told her that she had to stay behind…and if he's as stubborn as her, then he likely wouldn't want her to follow him," Sokka said, "Besides, she doesn't know where Aram went,"

"There has to be something else that happened…," Aang said.

Everyone sat in silence as they thought about what happened to Rayna. As Toph said, Rayna wasn't noticed by anyone for the rest of the day, so they couldn't pinpoint anything else concerning her behavior.

"Wait a second!" Suki proclaimed, "I remember seeing Aram whisper something to her before he left, and, if I remember correctly, her expression changed after he told her,"

"But what did he tell her?" Aang said.

"I don't know, like I said, he whispered something to her," Suki added, "But it obviously bothered her or impacted her somehow,"

"She did skip dinner that night…," Sokka said, "And she didn't even complain or make fun of me when I asked for her portion," he remarked.

"Ugh this is all pointless!" Zuko interrupted, "We need to be looking for her, not sitting and thinking about it!"

"Zuko, please you need to—," Katara started.

"No! You know what? You guys stay here and have a nice discussion while I take Appa and look for her!" Zuko yelled as he stormed off.

"Zuko, wait!" Aang said as he ran after Zuko.

"Leave me alone! If you're not going to help me, then just forget it!" Zuko responded, "I'm the only one here that actually cares about finding her!"

"You know that's wrong!" Aang said, "We all care about finding her!"

"Then why are you guys sitting having a nice discussion rather than using this fluffy monster to search for her!" Zuko shouted.

Aang quickly caught up with Zuko and blocked off Appa, "You don't know how to fly Appa!" he said.

Zuko paused for a second, but then angrily replied, "I'll learn now!"

"No!" Aang responded, "I will help you look for her and fly Appa, as long as you promise to calm down!"

"How can I calm down?!" Zuko demanded.

"Do you want to find her or not?!" Aang snapped back.

Zuko immediately paused. Without Aang's help, he wouldn't be able to use Appa, and finding Rayna was his top priority right now. "Fine. I promise to calm down," he answered.

"Good," Aang said.

Zuko and Aang got on Appa and began to fly around and search for Rayna. They called out for her constantly, and flew as close to the surface as they could. Hours passed and they still hadn't found her; it was already well into the night and they hadn't even found a trace of her.

Aang pulled Appa's reins and started heading back towards the campsite. "What are you doing? We need to keep looking!" Zuko said.

"No, we need sleep," Aang responded, "Appa's tired and won't make it much further without crashing. You need sleep too, Zuko,"

"We can't stop now! The longer we wait, the farther away she'll get from us! How can we sleep?" Zuko demanded.

"Zuko, we need sleep. Besides, she needs sleep too; she probably stops and takes breaks," Aang said, "I don't care what you say, we are going back and we are getting some rest," he yawned, "We'll look for her again in the morning,"

"Okay, fine," Zuko said, "But we need to start looking for her first thing in the morning!"

"Okay, okay, we will," Aang yawned.

A few days had passed, but they still hadn't found Rayna. They'd searched everywhere, gone to villages and asked around about her, yet they found no trace of her. They didn't know what to do, even Zuko was slowly giving up. They all agreed to go to Ember Island where they could hide out and rest for a bit. They'd been searching day and night for Rayna, and they were exhausted.

Zuko was no longer angry or furious, rather he was depressed and confused. Ever since Rayna left, he realized something about himself; he was no good without her. He needed her, now more than ever. He wanted to see her and hold her, and tell her how he felt. He wanted to see her smile and laugh. He even wanted to see her evil death glare that she gave Sokka practically every day. He'd never been this worried about someone.

After a long day or tiresome searching, Zuko was sitting alone at the beach. The last time he was at Ember Island, he was able to convey his emotions and find some inner peace. He prayed that he'd be able to once again find that inner peace.

"Mind if I join you?" a voice said behind Zuko. Zuko looked over and saw Suki standing behind him. He nodded and ushered her to sit down.

"You really miss her, don't you?" she said as she sat down.

Zuko looked down at the ground, "Is it that obvious?"

"A little," she said, "I understand how you feel though,"

"How?" Zuko asked.

"When she left, you felt alone and confused. Even if you had reassurance that she was alright, it wouldn't help you feel any better. You're missing the weird little things about her that you once took for granted. You just feel…lost," Suki sighed, "I understand, because that's how I felt every time Sokka left…especially when I was locked up in prison," she admitted, "I know you're worried about her safety, but I'm sure she's alright; Rayna can handle herself, after all," she smiled weakly.

"I am worried about her safety…but by now, I'm more worried about why she left. What if…what if she doesn't want us to find her? What if she wants us to completely forget about her?" Zuko asked, concerned.

"Yeah…I wonder that too," Suki admitted, "Even if she wants to be alone, even if she wants us to forget about her, even if she doesn't want us to look for her…we still need to find her. If we find her and she tells us to go away…well…at least we got confirmation about it, right?" she said.

Zuko slowly nodded his head in response; Suki was right, they had to find Rayna whether she wanted them to or not. If they never found her and something were to happen…. they'd never forgive themselves, especially Zuko. He spent so long trying to come to terms with his feelings about her and himself; he couldn't give up just because she was missing. Her disappearing act wasn't going to stop Zuko from telling her how he feels.

"Anyway," Suki said, interrupting his thoughts, "I'm going to bed," she yawned, "You should get some sleep too; it's easier to search when you're rested,"

Suki walked back towards the beach house, and Zuko slowly followed behind. He wasn't sure he could sleep, nor did he really want to sleep. It wasn't just thoughts of Rayna that'd prevent him from sleeping, it was also his memories from the beach house that'd keep him awake.

Although it took a while, Zuko managed to finally fall asleep. Little did he know that the dream he'd have that night would reveal everything he was looking for.


	17. Zuko's Dream

There was a little boy; he had gold eyes, dark brown hair, and light skin. He was at least 6 years old, his hair was pulled back into a short ponytail, and he was wearing red royal armor. At first, the little boy was asleep next to a large tree within a deep, dark forest; sunlight barely cracked through. Suddenly, the little boy sprung himself awake. As he looked around, he realized that he had no idea where he was, or how he got there. He felt himself panic, so he quickly got up and ran through the forest. However, as he was running, he noticed that there was no clear path; the forest was a labyrinth.

His thoughts were interrupted when he tripped over a rock and crashed onto the grass, hurting his knee in the process. He tried pulling himself up, but the pain in his knee was too much for him to bear. As he laid on the ground in pain, he noticed the forest shifting and moving. Suddenly, it was as if the trees had become demons and they were leaning in to consume the little boy. The sounds of the forest became cold and unforgiving, and darkness consumed the area around the boy. Terrified, the little boy began crying and he hid his face into his knees. As he cried, he kept begging for someone to save him and for the evil to go away.

"Are you okay?" a soft voice said to the little boy. The little boy looked up to see a little girl; she had grey eyes, black hair, and pale white skin. She was at least 6 years old, her curly hair went just below her ears, she was wearing a white dress with a periwinkle collar and ends, she was barefoot, and she was carrying a raggedy, old teddy bear. The little girl looked confusedly at the crying boy in front of her.

The little boy tried to wipe his tears away, but he kept crying, "I'm alone, and I'm lost, and I'm scared," he cried.

The little girl raised left eyebrow, "You're not alone," she said, "You're with me," she smiled. She sat down on the ground and reached her hand out to the little boy, "You don't need to be afraid of me, I won't hurt you," she reassured.

Hesitantly, the little boy reached out his hand and shook the little girls hand. The little girl smiled in response; she had the biggest, most joyful smile the little boy had ever seen. The little boy couldn't help by smile in response to her smile.

"I think I'll call you…Zuko," the little girl said, "Yeah. I'm going to call you Zuko," she smiled, "What do you want to call me?" she asked.

"I don't know," the little boy responded, "What's your name?" he asked.

"Nope," she responded, "Not allowed. You have to give me a name,"

The little boy paused, initially weirded out by her concept of names. After thinking for a minute, he finally said, "Can I call you Rayna?"

The little girl smiled, "Ooh! That's a pretty name, I like it! Okay, so from now on, you're Zuko and I'm Rayna, got it?" she said. The little boy nodded in response. "Good! Alright, Zuko, what are you doing here?" she boldly asked.

"I…don't know," he responded, sadly, "All I know is that I woke up in this really scary forest and I'm lost," he began to cry again.

Suddenly, Rayna shoved something in his arms. Zuko looked down and saw the raggedy, old teddy bear she had been carrying. "That's Nux, my little cub," she said, "He's my best friend in the whole world, and he always protects me from the scary things. You need him more than I do right now; don't worry, he'll protect you too," she said.

Zuko hesitantly hugged Nux. Surprisingly, as he hugged Nux, a feeling of calmness and happiness swept over him. It felt as if Nux was hugging him back, and smiling at him. "…thank you…," Zuko responded shyly.

Rayna smiled in response, "You're welcome, Mr. Zuko,"

Zuko stared at the little girl, whom he called Rayna. She seemed unusual, quirky, weird, and overly smiley. On the other hand, she had a nice aura to her that made the little boy forget his problems. Despite her weirdness, he liked the little girl.

"You obviously are here for a reason, otherwise you wouldn't be here," Rayna said, interrupting Zuko's thoughts, "Are you looking for something, or someone? Did you get lost trying to find this thing or person?" she asked.

Suddenly, Zuko's eyes went wide with realization, "Yeah! I'm looking for someone…I think it's a girl…I can't remember," he said, "But how can I look for them when I can't remember who they are or why I'm trying to find them?" he asked.

"Hmmm," Rayna said, putting her finger over her mouth as she paused in thought. A few seconds later, she snapped her fingers and scooted close to Zuko's face, making him blush. "I can help you! We can go look in the spirit pond!" she said happily.

"What's the spirit pond?" Zuko asked.

"It's this really, really beautiful pond in the forest. It's a portal for spirits, and the forest is their pathway. That's why the paths are so confusing, because the spirits didn't want anyone to find their sacred pond and possibly disturb it. But I know where it is!" she smiled, "And I'm friends with the spirits, so I know they can help us," she said. She stood up, brushed off her dress, and reached her hand to Zuko, "Come on, let's go,"

Zuko grabbed Rayna's hand and tried to pull himself up, but the pain in his knee quickly pulled him back down. Rayna looked at him confusedly, until she noticed the big gash on his knee. She quickly sat back down and looked at his knee, poking at it.

"Ow! That hurts!" Zuko exclaimed as Rayna poked his wound.

"I know, that's why I'm poking it," she said, "But don't worry, I can easily fix it,"

"How?" he asked.

"Nux is a healer," she said as she reached over and grabbed Nux from his hands. She put Nux's paws over his wound. A light blue light began to glow over his knee, and then the pain disappeared. She pulled away Nux's paws and pointed down at his wound; it'd completely vanished.

"How did you do that?" he asked, completely amazed.

"I didn't do it, Nux did it!" she smiled as she handed Nux back to him, "Now let's go to the pond and find your mystery person!" she exclaimed.

Rayna and Zuko started walking through the forest. Zuko carefully followed behind Rayna while he clenched onto Nux. However, the once terrifying, demonic forest had become peaceful and beautiful. Even though there were few cracks on sunlight, the forest was fully light and shining. A gentle wind danced throughout the forest, and the once cold sounds of the forest had become musical.

Zuko, not paying attention to his surroundings, tripped over a branch on the ground; luckily, he didn't hurt himself again. Rayna turned around and saw Zuko face first on the ground. She tsked and shook her head, "We won't get very far if you keep falling," she said. She reached down and grabbed his hand, pulling him up. When he tried to let go of her hand, she clenched onto his hand even harder, "From now on, you and I are going to hold hands. This way you can catch up to me, slow poke," she said as she pulled him away.

Zuko blushed as Rayna held onto his hand. Her tiny hand was fragile and delicate, yet there was a certain roughness to it; he was surprised by her hand's roughness, since it appeared to be so soft and gentle on the outside. He wondered if she was hiding something from him; what if she appeared to be sweet and innocent on the outside, but was cold and broken on the inside?

"Tell me a story," Rayna said, interrupting his thoughts.

"What?" Zuko responded.

"It's way too quiet; it's so boring! So tell me a story," she said.

"I don't know any stories," he said.

"Hmm you're no fun," she responded, "Everyone knows at least one story," she said.

"Well, in that case, why don't you tell me a story?" he responded, slightly irritated.

"If you insist," she answered, "I actually know two stories, thank you very much. Which one do you want to hear first?" she asked.

"I don't know, what are they about?" he asked.

"Nope," she said, "You can't know what they're about before I tell them, dummy! You have to pick either one or two," she said.

"Fine. I'll pick…one," he responded.

"Excellent choice," she said, "This one is a true story, and it's about a little girl just like me," she smiled, "Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a small village. She had a mommy, a daddy, and a big brother. She was very happy with her life, and loved everyone in her village. But, one day, her village was surprised by Fire Nation soldiers. Apparently, they wanted to take away her village. They started to burn down the village and massacre villagers. The little girl was really scared and she didn't know what to do. Her mommy and daddy told her to hide with her big brother. But, the little girl didn't listen. She was so scared that she ran out to her mommy crying. Her mommy tried to get her to go away and hide, but it was too late; a soldier killed her mommy, right before her eyes. Her daddy ran over to protect her and fight the big, scary soldier. He told her to run away, but she still didn't listen. Then, a different soldier killed her daddy, right before her eyes. The little girl screamed and cried; her mommy and daddy were both gone. Then, her big brother ran over to protect her from the two soldiers. He told her to run away, and this time she listened. But before she could escape, a soldier grabbed her by her throat and pinned her against the tree. As she was choking, she watched the two other soldiers hurt her big brother and drag him away. No matter how hard she screamed for him, he couldn't come to her. The little girl screamed and cried; she'd lost both her mommy and daddy, and now she'd lost her brother. In the end, she was ready to be killed by the soldier," she finished.

Rayna looked over and saw that Zuko had big tears streaming down his face. She immediately stopped and turned to face him, "Why are you crying?" she asked.

"Because…," he sniffled, "It's so sad! She was just scared and wanted her mommy and daddy. But now she's all alone, and doesn't have anyone to comfort her when she's scared," he continued to cry.

Rayna put her sleeve up to Zuko's eyes and wiped away his tears, "You shouldn't be sad. If you think about it, their deaths are her fault," she said.

"What?!" he said, "How can you say that?!"

"If she'd just listened and hid like she was supposed to, her mommy and daddy wouldn't have gotten distracted by her. If she'd done as she was told, her mommy and daddy would've survived. But she didn't, and she suffered the consequences," she said, "She was a fool,"

"That's not true!" he responded.

"What proof do you have of that?" she immediately snapped back.

He opened his mouth to respond, but couldn't think of what to say. It's true that the little girl didn't listen to her parents, and it's true that they died trying to protect her, but he just knew that it wasn't her fault. "It's the Fire Nation's fault," he said, "They were the ones who attacked and killed her family. It's not her fault, and she shouldn't feel like it's her fault. She should be angry and hate the Fire Nation,"

"Nope," she responded.

"What do you mean nope?!" he demanded.

"Was the whole Fire Nation there?" she asked, "Every single member of the Fire Nation? If you're saying that it's the Fire Nation's fault, then that means that the entire Fire Nation was there and killed people," she said.

"That's not what I meant—," he started.

"But that's what you said," she said, "It's unfair to blame the entire Fire Nation, or to hate them. Everyone in this world is both good and bad in their own ways. Sometimes people do bad things, but they think they're doing good things. Also, not everyone in the Fire Nation is the same. You can't judge them for what a few of their people have done. You can't even judge the few people who did it. Our actions don't determine who we are, and you can't judge someone you don't know," she said.

"So she should just forgive them for what they've done?!" he said.

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," she said, looking him straight in the eye, "She has every right to be angry and hurt about what they did to her; I would be too. But she has no right to immediately assume their bad people and hate them. You're from the Fire Nation, aren't you? If that girl was here, you're basically saying that she should automatically hate you and think you're an evil person," she said.

Zuko paused. He wanted to disagree, but he saw a point to Rayna's argument. It's unfair to hate an entire group of people because a small number of them did something bad. At the same time, even though it's hard to believe, there is good and bad in everyone. Everyone is different, and everyone has their own ways. When someone does something bad to you, you can be mad at them. But to automatically hate them? That seems slightly unfair to the person in question.

Unable to think of a response, he simply responded, "We need to get going,"

Rayna huffed her breath and rolled her eyes, "Alright, alright," she said. She started walking forward, still holding onto Zuko's hand. "You ready for the second story?" she asked.

"Not if it's like the last story," he said.

"It's not. This one is a legend, and it's an important one," she said.

"How so?" he asked.

"It involves the spirit portal we're going to visit," she said.

"…go on…," he said.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful pond in the middle of the forest. The spirits were so astounded by the pond's beauty that they claimed it as their own and made it into a spiritual portal. However, they were afraid that humans would try to destroy the pond for their own selfish desires, so they turned the forest into a labyrinth of pathways so people would never be able to reach it. One day, though, a girl from a nearby village stumbled upon the pond, and she too was astounded by its beauty. Instead of using the pond like the spirits thought she would, she decided to care for it and protect it. She did everything she could to maintain its beauty and make sure it was never disturbed by humans. The spirits of the forest became dependent on this girl and anointed her as guardian of the portal. However, one day the girl didn't come to the pond. At first, the spirits didn't think much of it. However, she didn't come back to the pond for 10 years. By then, the spirits were furious that she abandoned them and allowed the pond to slightly whither. So when she returned 10 years later, the angry spirits dragged her into the pond and drowned her; that way, she'd never be able to leave again and she'd be able to take care of the forest forever," she finished.

Zuko wasn't sure how to comment on that one. At first, he wondered why the girl disappeared for 10 years. Did something bad happen, or did she simply forget about the pond? He understood that the spirits were hurt, but wasn't drowning the girl a little extreme? Maybe she wanted to apologize to them and make amends. He felt conflicted about this story, and wasn't sure if he completely sided with the heroine of the story.

"We're here," Rayna said.

Zuko snapped his head up and looked at the pond. It was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. The pond was the center of the area, and the sunlight perfect hit it. The trees around the area were light and soothing, and the grass was soft. He could almost see the spirits dancing with the wind, and he could feel the immense energy from the pond.

"Come on," Rayna said as she pulled him towards the pond, "We won't learn anything if we're this far away," she said. She pulled Zuko to one edge of the pond, and they both sat down. "Now you just need to concentrate and think really hard about who you want to find. With luck, the spirits will show you the person's reflection," she said.

Zuko put Nux down next to him and stared into the pond. At first, he could only see his and Rayna's reflection. He tried as hard as he could to concentrate and focus on the person he was searching for. But when he looked back I the water, only his and Rayna's reflections were there.

"This isn't working," he said frustrated.

"No, it is working," she said, her voice was shaking and there was a sense of fear. "Look again at the reflections…specifically my reflection," she said.

Zuko once again looked into the pond. But when he looked over a Rayna's reflection, there was a different face. The new reflection was of a girl with grey eyes, curly, below chin length black hair, and pale skin. The girl looked like she was at least 16 years old, she had a cut under one eye and a burn mark on one shoulder. As he looked closer, he noticed that the girl's eyes were tinged with sadness and depression; they looked practically soulless. As he thought about it longer, the girl looked like an older version of Rayna. But then it hit him; Rayna was the girl he was looking for all along, and this new reflection was her true self.

"Rayna…," Zuko said, looking concernedly at Rayna.

Rayna's eyes were fogged with tears and she was shaking, "I just remembered something," she said, "Those two stories I told you, I know them because they're about me," she said. She turned over and looked at Zuko, "Goodbye,"

Suddenly, Rayna was dragged into the pond and completely disappeared. Zuko panic and screamed out for her. He looked over and saw that even Nux had disappeared, and that the forest was turning black. He panicked even harder and tried to dive into the pond and find Rayna, but he couldn't go into the pond. Suddenly, everything disappeared and he was alone again.

"Rayna," he cried, "I remember why I was trying to find you. You disappeared, you left us. I needed to find you and bring you back to me. I need to find you and bring you back because…I love you…," he sobbed.

As he was sobbing, a strange white light appeared before him. At first, he was too busy crying to notice it. The white light slowly transformed into a figure, and then it became a woman. She had curly black hair, ice blue eyes, and pale skin.

"Zuko," the voice said. Zuko looked up and saw the woman and backed up in fear, "Please, don't be afraid. I am Izumi, I am Rayna's mother,"

Zuko's eyes went wide, "But that's impossible. You're dead, and spirits can only connect with the avatar,"

"Sometimes spirits make exceptions," Izumi winked at Zuko, "Listen to me carefully, you're having this dream for a reason. I need you to go and find my little girl before it's too late,"

"This is crazy. This whole thing makes no sense, and it feels arbitrary to the story," he responded.

"Yes, it does, and perhaps it feels out of place or unnecessary. But this was the only way to communicate with you," Izumi said, "You are someone that Rayna's trusts and loves, and that's why only you can save her,"

"You couldn't have just told me that?" he asked.

"Oh come now, I've always loved theatrics and putting on an elaborate performance," she smiled.

"Okay, but what am I supposed to do?" he asked.

"Go to her and save her before the spirits get to her. Go alone; if you bring anyone else, the spirits will notice immediately and they will kill her before you can even get close to her," she said.

"But I don't know where I am supposed to go!" he said, "I only know he inside of the forest,"

"I can fix that," she winked. She placed her hands on Zuko's head and connected with his mind. She showed him where he needed to go and how to get there. She slowly took her hands away, "There. You should know now," she smiled.

"You sure?" he asked.

"Not really, but I believe you can figure it out," she smiled.

Before Zuko could say anything, Izumi's light faded and she disappeared. The moment she disappeared, Zuko immediately woke up. He looked around and saw that it was still early in the night. He quickly got up and got dressed. He grabbed a few things, wrote a note for everyone, and ran out to Appa.

"Okay, listen to me," Zuko said to Appa, "I have no idea how to fly you, but right now I need your help," he said. Appa roared in response. "Please, it's for Rayna. I had this weird dream that showed me where to find her," he pleaded. Appa roared in response. "Oh don't give me that! Rayna's dead mother came to me and told me what I was supposed to do in my dream, so there!" he said. He suddenly paused in realization, "Okay, maybe that's not the best explanation in the world," he said. Appa roared in response. "Hey, don't you want to find Rayna? I know you love it when she makes you special meals and gives you extra treats," he said.

Suddenly, Appa flew up into the sky and roared happily. Zuko panicked at first, but he managed to calm down and think rationally. He thought very hard and concentrated on what Izumi had showed him. He grabbed Appa's reins and said, "Don't worry, Rayna. I'm coming to save you,"


	18. Found You

It'd been five days since Zuko suddenly took off with Appa in search of Rayna. Although Zuko claimed to know where he was going and what he was doing, he clearly had no idea and was making it up as he went. The only reason why Appa wasn't annoyed with him was because he'd take breaks and feed Appa. Zuko, on the other hand, was annoyed with himself. He left in search of Rayna on an impulse, and now he was starting to regret it. He had a hard time remembering the specific directions, and flying Appa was a lot harder than it looked. At the same time, he wasn't smart enough to bring a week's worth of food with him, rather he brought a day's worth.

After five days of searching with no success, Zuko began to question his own sanity, and whether or not his dream actually meant something. Sure, it was the best clue he'd got about Rayna's whereabouts. At the same time, he remembered Aram saying, _"There was this really big, hidden pond nearby our village. It was rumored to be a spirit portal, so people weren't allowed to swim in it. Rayna loved that pond and always wanted to go there. She believed that it was a home for spirits, and the pathway and trees helped show the spirits the way to the pond. She took care of the pond and the area around it like it was her pet"_. Yet, there was a sense of uneasiness. For example, Rayna's dead mother speaking to Zuko beyond her grave and warning him about the danger her daughter was in? It sounded weird no matter how he put it.

Maybe he just had the dream because he missed Rayna? She was wearing the same dress in his dream as she was wearing in the picture Aram showed him, and she had the same bear. In the end, he was emotionally unstable and had been going crazy ever since Rayna left; his mind just wanted to mess with him. Besides, since he and Appa left, he hadn't been able to sleep; his thoughts of Rayna kept him awake. However, they weren't necessarily bad thoughts. In fact, they'd all been positive memories or thoughts of her.

He remembered the first time he saw her. He saw her not too long after he and Iroh moved into their new apartment and started working at the tea shop. That day, he'd been particularly stressed because Jet had attacked him the night before. But then, the door to the tea shop opened and in walked a beautiful girl. The moment he laid eyes on her, all his stress, irritation, unhappiness, and anger completely disappeared. Everything around her became a blur, and she was the only thing Zuko could focus on. She looked like the night sky; her hair as black as night, her eyes as grey as the moon, and her skin as white as the stars. He caught himself staring at her, and quickly walked off to help another customer.

Frankly, if it weren't for Iroh, Zuko likely would've never talked to Rayna. For a long time, he tried to convince himself how much trouble it would've saved him if he never spoke to her. But then he realized how thankful he was. He'd been so miserable while he was in Ba Sing Sae, but once he met her, he was able to smile again and feel happy. Back then, he didn't completely mind that Rayna never called him her boyfriend, or told him she loved him, or make the first move. Seeing her cute expression when she blushed, getting angry when he teased and flirted with her, and thanking him when he sent her flowers, took her on a date, or kissed her…that was all he needed to be happy.

He missed her, now more than ever. He wanted to hug her, to hold her hand, to kiss her, to sleep next to her, to stroke her soft cheek, run his fingers through her hair, and just see her. He hadn't realized how much everyone depended on Rayna. To her, it may seem like they just needed her for food or target practice, but there was so much more. Every time she would fight one of them, the others would always watch her fight, and even take notes on what she was doing. She very clearly instructed Aang, she was never afraid to point out his mistakes or call him out for doing something completely incorrect, she was perfectly willing to give him hell, and she always gave it her all during training. Watching her fight was inspiring, and it made everyone else work even harder. To this day, none of them had defeated Rayna in a fight. There were times when she almost lost, but she always had a good trick up her sleeve to trick them in the end. As for the food, she always made food according to everyone's needs. If she was making meat, she'd make Aang a special vegetarian dish. For Zuko, she even started adding more spices into his food so it wouldn't be too bland for him. Even with Sokka and Katara, she tried to learn some dishes that would remind them of home. No matter what she cooked, she always made sure everyone was happy.

It was true that they'd be able to eat without her, and they could easily train without her…but it just wouldn't be the same. She brought a sort of joy and happiness with her that transferred to everyone around her. Sometimes it seemed like her happiness was taken away by everyone else while she absorbed all of their negativity and unhappiness, but she never complained. She always put others before herself, which was one of her greatest strengths as well as one of her greatest weaknesses.

Another day passed by and Zuko finally came across a large, expansive forest. He noticed a small village within the forest, and he landed down there. But once he landed, he realized that it was an abandoned ghost town. He looked around and realized that it was clearly the work of the Fire Nation. Everything looked either dead and lifeless or like it was on the verge of death.

As he was looking around, his eyes were particularly drawn to one house. It was one of the few establishments that was barely standing. It wasn't particularly big; it was the perfect size for a small family. There was no roof, there were holes in the floor, the walls looked like they were about to fall over, it was musty, and the house was covered in weeds, ash, and dirt. He carefully walked "inside" the house, and noticed a small box in the corner of one "room".

Unlike the house, the box looked new and almost refurbished. His curiosity got the better of him, and he walked over to open the box. As he got closer, he realized the box wasn't as pristine as it looked from far away. The latch was broken, there were specs of dirt, it looked a little worse for the wear, and the top looked like it would snap off at any moment. Nonetheless, he opened the box. Inside, he saw a few old pictures, children's drawings, a ring, a journal, a few notes and poems, and a white ribbon. As he looked closer, he saw that something was inscribed on the box; it read, "Izumi, 58 AG – 90 AG". Zuko then realized that he was in Rayna's childhood home.

He looked over and saw Rayna's bag and her cloak in another corner of the house. He also saw that her old bear, Nux, was right by her things. He quickly got up and ran into the forest. He had to find Rayna now, before something happened to her. But what if he was too late? What if she was already dragged down by the spirits? _No,_ he thought to himself, _I can't make any conclusions now. I need to find her._

As he ran through the forests' labyrinth, he kept getting scratch by branches and almost tripping over rocks. Nonetheless, he kept running as fast as he could. After what felt like an eternity, he made it to the pond. Out of breath and heavily panting, he quickly looked around to see if Rayna was anywhere in sight. Low and behold, she was sitting right next to the pond. Her hair completely covered her face, she looked paler than normal, and she appeared to be lifeless.

"Rayna…," Zuko said breathlessly. Rayna slowly turned her head and looked up at Zuko. Her eyes were completely soulless, her face was puffy from crying, her expression showed no sign of emotion, and she looked as if she hadn't eaten anything in days.

"Why are you here?" she asked as she looked away from him. Even her voice had no life in it.

Zuko walked closer to her, "Because you've been missing for two weeks," he said softly, "You vanished without a word. I had to find you," he said.

Rayna didn't respond. She kept looking down at the pond, almost as if she was ignoring Zuko.

"Don't you realize how worried we were?" Zuko said, "We had no idea what happened to you; you could've been dead for all we know! Why would you leave without telling us?" he asked.

"Because I didn't want you to find me," Rayna answered, very straightforward.

"Why?!" he demanded, "What right do you have to pull a stupid vanishing act?"

"My reasons are my own," she responded.

"Bullshit," he responded, angrily, "You owe us an explanation!"

"I owe you nothing," she replied.

Zuko wanted to run over to Rayna, grab her, and forcefully take her away from the pond. However, if he did that, she would only complain and fight back. He took a deep breath in, and gently exhaled. He walked over and sat down next to Rayna. But before she could scoot away from him, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

Out of all the hugs in the world, this hug was the best one. Her scent enveloped him, her warmth made him want to melt, her hair felt like soft silk on his fingers, her soft skin was soothing, and holding her in his arms only made him fall deeper in love with her. He wanted to cry; it'd been so long since he held her, and he worried that he'd never be able to hold her again. Even though she wasn't reciprocating his hug, he was overwhelmed with happiness.

"Please let go," Rayna said.

"No. I'm never letting you go," he said as he squeezed her tighter.

Rayna's eyes started to fill with tears, "Please…,"

Zuko could feel her tears fall onto his shirt, and her voice sounded as if she was about to breakdown. "You left because it's been 10 years since you lost your family and your home, right? Is that what Aram whispered to you before he left?" he gently asked.

Suddenly, Zuko felt Rayna's arms wrap around his and she started crying. He realized something; he'd never really seen her cry before. She'd gotten teary eyed before, and almost cried, but this was truly the first time he saw her cry. Before, she kept up a tough act and dismissed anything that bothered her; she was like Zuko in that respect, always keeping herself emotionally distant from others. For her, she always worried that her emotions would only burden others. When they did show through, she thought she was weak and only causing people trouble. Zuko could only imagine how hard it was for her to openly express her sadness.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed. Over and over, she kept repeating that same phrase and only cried harder.

Zuko gently released her from the hug. He then slowly placed his hands on her cheeks, and wiped her tears away with his fingers. "You need to stop apologizing," he whispered.

"But…but…," she continued to cry.

"You need to stop," he said as he looked her in the eye.

"I suddenly disappeared and made you worried," she cried, "I wanted to tell you guys, but I didn't want you to be burdened,"

"Idiot," he said, "You're never a burden. Sure, you can be annoying and do things that really irritate me. You never let anyone protect you, even when you need it. Not to mention you're unbelievably stubborn," he said, "But never a burden," he reassured her. He stood up and reached his hand out to Rayna, "I know you want to stay here, it is your home after all. I know you feel like you've neglected your family and your sacred forest. But we really need you to come back…I really need you to come back…," he said, slightly blushing, "So please…let's go back,"

Rayna paused for a moment; she wasn't sure what to do. The guilt of her parents' deaths and how she abandoned her home was eating away at her. She felt like if she left, she would once again abandon her home and family. However, hearing Zuko say that he needed her…somehow it made her heart skip a beat, especially since he was sincere about it.

As she slowly reached her hand out, something pulled at her leg and dragged her into the pond. She immediately screamed with fear as she was being dragged down into the water. Once she was fully submerged, a layer of ice formed on top of the pond— preventing her from escaping for air. She could vaguely hear Zuko's cries, but everything started to fade away.

Zuko, on the other hand, was panicking as he tried to break the ice and save Rayna. However, after realizing nothing could break through the ice, he blasted fire at the thick layer of ice. By then, he couldn't even see Rayna in the pond. He blasted and blasted fire at the ice, but the ice only seemed to get thicker. He kept screaming out for her, and tried everything he could to break the ice.

Rayna was practically on her last breath, everything was fading to black, and she had stopped struggling. The spirits that were trying to drown her let go of her once she stopped struggling. At that point, she believed she was going to die and couldn't do anything about it. She closed her eyes as she sank deeper in the pond.

Suddenly, Zuko managed to break through the ice and he dived in after her. By then, Rayna was down at the bottom of the pond and wasn't breathing. Zuko swam as fast as he could and grabbed her. As he was trying to swim back up, the spirits began pulling him down, refusing to let go of Rayna. But he refused to give in, and did his best to push away the spirits and reach the surface. After what felt like an eternity, Zuko finally reached the surface and pulled Rayna out of the water. Despite being out of breath, he grabbed Rayna and ran as far away as possible from the pond.

He finally set Rayna down on her back, and couldn't hear her breath, but he put his head down to her chest and could still hear her heart beating, just barely. Quickly, he tilted her head back, held her nose, and placed his mouth over her mouth. Completely covering her mouth with his mouth, he blew rescue breaths into her mouth. Suddenly, as his mouth covered her mouth, she began to breath again. He took his mouth away from her mouth, and she began to cough up water. He turned her onto to her side and gently patted her back. His eyes teared up; she was alive, he'd save her, but more importantly she was alive.

She coughed up whatever water remained in her system, and weakly looked up at Zuko. She couldn't believe she was alive, or at least she hoped she was alive. She tried to pull herself up, but she was still too weak so she ended up falling back down to the ground. At the same time, she felt loopy and everything still looked fuzzy to her; she could barely focus on Zuko.

Zuko reached down and picked up Rayna, and began walking back to the abandoned village. As he held her, he noticed that she was shivering from the cold. Although he wanted to leave as soon as possible, he figured she needed to rest for the night. When they made it back, he put her down by Appa and he began collecting wood for a fire.

Rayna was slowly but surely regaining her strength as she lay on Appa. She chuckled as Appa roared in happiness and licked her. She looked and saw Zuko putting down wood and starting a fire.

Suddenly, Zuko looked over at her and told her, quite straightforward, "Take your clothes off,"


	19. Confession

"Take your clothes off,"

Rayna's face turned a whole new shade of red, "What?!" she demanded.

"You need to take your clothes off," he said walking towards her.

"Like hell I will, pervert!" she yelled. She turned and looked at Appa, "Appa, kill," she commanded as she pointed to Zuko.

"That's not what I meant!" he said, "If you don't take your clothes off, you'll catch a cold. You can cover yourself in your cloak while they dry off," he said.

Rayna paused and averted her gaze from Zuko. "Fine. But you better go make a second fire for yourself somewhere far away from here," she glared.

"I'm not going to do anything, I swear! I need to change to, you know?" he responded angrily.

Rayna immediately flashed him her death glare, "You change as far away as possible and stay at least 100 meters away from me. If you try anything funny, I will kill you," she growled.

Zuko had almost forgotten how scary her death glare truly was. He quickly grabbed his cloak and ran off into the forest. Once he was gone, Rayna sighed. She wanted to thank him, but then he suddenly told her to take her clothes off. She quickly changed out of her clothes and wrapped herself in her cloak; luckily it was too big for her and covered her entire body. Even though she was completely covered, she'd never felt more exposed in her entire life. Opposed to walking to the fire, she hid behind Appa, too embarrassed to see Zuko.

She heard Zuko's footsteps and a sense of fear came over her. She knew he wouldn't try anything and she knew she could trust him, but it was more her own inner turmoil than his presence. Truth was, Rayna was insecure about her body. In fact, Rayna was insecure about the way she looked in general. So far, Zuko and the Duke were the only people who'd ever told her she was beautiful. Ever since she joined Team Avatar, her insecurity only got worse as began comparing herself to Katara. Katara always got noticed by other boys and girls, and her beauty made her look much older than she actually was. When she saw Zuko leap to protect Katara, that only fueled her envy towards Katara.

Most of her life, she'd been treated like the scum of the earth by others. She was a "peasant", a "street rat", a "hooligan", "trash", and overall worthless. All those negative comments made her dislike herself. Even when she was little, she was often picked up by other children for being "ugly" and "weird". Nux truly was her only friend growing up.

"Rayna?" Zuko's voice called out.

"I'm here," she responded. She heard his footsteps walking towards her, "Don't you dare take another step," she growled.

"You should sit by the fire," he said.

"Near you? No thanks," she replied.

"I'll sit as far away as possible and I won't look at you," he said.

Rayna paused, but then she slowly walked out and sat down by the fire. By then, Zuko had already walked further away and was turned around. He was using his fire bending to keep himself warm. Rayna felt slightly bad making him stay as far away as possible from her, but at the same time she didn't want him to be anywhere near her.

"Did you hang your clothes out to dry?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"Good," he said.

The air was tense and completely awkward. Zuko was doing his best to abide by Rayna's rules and be completely isolated from her; Rayna was feeling conflicted and confused about the whole situation. Both of them wanted to break the tense atmosphere, but neither of them knew what to do.

"Um…," Rayna started, "I want to…thank you…for you know, saving me and stuff," she said.

Zuko slightly blushed, "Yeah. No problem…I mean you're welcome,"

Another awkward pause. Rayna hoped that her thank you would break the atmosphere, but it felt like it only made it worse. She tried thinking about another way to fuel the conversation, but couldn't think of anything. _Maybe it would be less awkward if he came and sat by the fire? Wait, what am I thinking?! No way! For my safety, he needs to stay as far as possible,_ she thought to herself. Then she started to question her decision, _I'm just being selfish, really. I just…what if something happens? That'd be way more scarring than almost drowning to death. But maybe I should trust him? After all, he's been nothing but nice to me since he got here_. Suddenly, a new thought occurred, _wait a second, how did he find me in the first place?_

"Zuko?" she asked, "How did you find me in the first place?"

Zuko froze. Should he tell her that he had a vivid dream about her and her dead mother told him where she was? She'd probably think he was lying, frankly he would too. But how else could he make it up? Say he found a map? But he knew that wouldn't work since Zai didn't show up on any maps.

"Um…it doesn't matter, really. I found you after all, didn't I? And I saved your life, so it's fine," he rambled.

Rayna looked at him suspiciously, "Turn around," she said.

"What? But you said—," he started.

"Turn around, now," she demanded. Zuko immediately turned around, but was avoiding her gaze. "Look me in the eyes," she growled. He slowly brought his gaze up to meet her glare. "Now tell me, how did you find me?" she asked.

 _Crap_ , Zuko thought, _she knows that I'm lying and hiding something. If I even look away from her, she'll probably jump me. Well…maybe not since she's naked. But still! I can't tell her the truth, but I can't lie!_ Zuko panicked. He tried to think about possible lies or ways to avoid the question, but nothing came to mind.

"You wouldn't believe me," he said.

Rayna squinted her eyes and intensified her glare, "Try me," she growled.

"Why are you so upset about it anyway?" he said, trying to change the topic, "You should be grateful!" he claimed. However, Rayna's glare only got worse. Finally, he gave in and sighed, "I had a dream," he mumbled.

Rayna's once cold glare turned into a confused look, "A dream?"

Zuko shyly nodded his head, "I had a dream…it was about you. Except it wasn't you, it was your mom. I mean, your mom didn't show up until the end of the dream and technically it was you in my dream. But it was your mom who was controlling my dream so technically it was your mom acting out you," he rambled.

Rayna's confused look only got worse, "Huh?"

"I told you that you wouldn't believe me," he muttered.

"How can I believe you when I'm confused?" she questioned, "You expect me to understand what you're talking about after a bad explanation like that?!"

"Just forget it," he muttered as he started to walk away, "Couldn't you be grateful?"

"Who said I wasn't grateful? Besides, it's not like I wanted you to come here and save me," she said, "I wanted you to go on without me. Why should I even be with you guys? I'm just an arbitrary character put into the story. Sometimes it feels like I'm not even in the same story as you guys,"

"What are you talking about? What story?"

"This entire thing! Aang's story will be known throughout the world. Aang, his waterbending master, his earthbending master, and his firebending master! At least Sokka is Katara's brother, and he has Suki now. I'm just the caretaker. I'd be more use if I didn't exist at all!" she screamed.

Suddenly, Zuko ran over to her and grasped her shoulders. It wasn't gentle though, in fact it was quite painful. She looked in Zuko's eyes and saw an unseated anger. For the first time, she was afraid of him. Yet, at the same time, as she looked further into his eyes she saw a great deal of pain behind his anger driven eyes. And for the first time in her life, she noticed Zuko's scar.

She had seen the scar before, but she didn't think much of it. When she first met him, she just focused on how awkward he was. When Katara asked her what he looked like (when she knew him as Lee), she only mentioned his sweet smile. Now, it was as if she was seeing the scar for the first time. Without thinking, she slowly reached her hand up and gently touched his scar. Zuko was taken back by her sudden touch; normally he hated it when others would touch his scar, but for some reason he wasn't completely bothered by it.

As Rayna touched his scar, she couldn't help but tear up. She felt the horrible pain and anguish, the heartbreaking sadness, the sense of abandonment and hatred, and the intense, overwhelming distress. It was almost as if she was absorbing all the pain and hurt from the scar. She wanted to stop feeling the pain of the scar, yet she wanted to keep absorbing the pain from Zuko.

At the same time, Zuko couldn't take his eyes off of her. In the past, when people saw his scar, their eyes were full of pity. But with Rayna, he saw only sadness in her eyes. No one had ever cried for him before. As he looked at her, all he could think about was how much he loved her. Just as she was taking away his sadness, he wanted to do the same for her.

Slowly, Zuko lowered his lips to meet Rayna's. He kissed her with more passion than ever before. He'd almost forgotten how gentle and soft her lips were, and how warm they felt pressed against his. He wanted to hold her and kiss her for all eternity. Even if she wasn't responding, even if her eyes were wide open with shock, he never wanted to stop kissing her.

Eventually, though, he pulled his lips away from hers'. He was right; Rayna's eyes were wide open and filled with shock.

"Why…," she started to say.

"Because I love you," he stated firmly.

"But…" she stammered.

"You said you wanted to move on and be friends, but I can't do that. You told me to forget about Ba Sing Sae, but I won't," he responded, "Every time you say or do something…I end up going to heaven or hell. My whole world has been revolving around you, going round and round. My world revolves around you and only you, now and forever,"

Rayna was frozen; she had no idea what to do or what to say. She thought they were just friends, and she thought they moved on. However, after hearing his confession, she became confused. She didn't know how to respond, because she didn't know how she felt about him. After all, he lied to her, burned her, and broke her heart. On the other hand, she couldn't deny how jealous she was when she saw him near Katara.

"Zuko…," she started to say.

"Just know that even if you hate me, I don't think I'll ever give up on you," he blushed, "The point is, I feel like there's nobody out there for me, except you. I want you, I want you so badly, I want you to be there for me no matter what, I want to love you. There are tons of reasons why I love you, but also no reason at all. But every time I look into your eyes, I feel it," he blushed even harder.

 _Damn him_ , she thought to herself. _I'm already confused enough; I don't need him confusing me even more!_ "…I don't know how I feel about you," she admitted, "I'm not rejecting you, but I'm not saying yes. So much has happened recently, and I really need time to think about this," she said, "Take it or leave it,"

To her surprise, Zuko simply smiled when she told him how she felt (or didn't feel). Her face turned slightly pink as she saw his sweet smile; the smile that she originally fell in love with.

"Okay," he said. He then reached over and pulled her into an embrace. He was a little discouraged that she didn't feel that same way, but knowing that she'd think about her feelings was enough for him.

"Umm…Zuko…," Rayna stammered, "Please let go of me…we're still technically naked…,"

Zuko's eyes went wide with realization and he immediately let go of her. He'd completely forgotten that, under her cloak, she was completely naked. Even though he'd love to see her beautiful body, he had to resist the sweet urge for not only her sake but also his sake.

"…sorry…," he mumbled.

"I-I-I'm going to change back into my clothes and go to bed," she stammered, "Goodnight," she said as she quickly ran to get her clothes and went to hide behind Appa.

Zuko sighed to himself, "Goodnight,"


	20. Avoidance and Jealousy

After returning from Zai, Rayna became more distant from Zuko. In her mind, if she got too close to him, he might get the wrong impression. She didn't completely avoid him though; she just didn't go out of her way to see him or talk with him. For her own sake, she needed some space from him, otherwise she wouldn't be able to truly reflect on her feelings.

Zuko, of course, wasn't too pleased with her staying away from him. He was hoping to convince her that she was still in love with him, and that he was a great guy (and an even better boyfriend). His only hope now was to act like a better guy for everyone else, and make sure that no one got in his way. At first, he didn't have much to worry about. After all, Sokka loved Suki and Aang loved Katara; there were no more boys to chase after her.

Since Suki and Rayna were the least recognizable members of team avatar, they were the ones who went shopping in town. At the same time, Rayna still did most of the cooking, so it was easier for her to pick out ingredients. One day, however, Suki and Rayna returned from town with more groceries than they needed, a giant bouquet of flowers, and many small gifts. While Suki looked highly amused, Rayna looked annoyed and exhausted.

"What's all that for?" Katara asked, "Isn't it a bit much?"

"These are all gifts for Rayna," Suki smiled.

"Why is she getting gifts?" Sokka asked, "It's not like she's done something important or anything," he said as Rayna launched a carrot at his head.

"They're all from her admirers!" Suki said excitedly, "Every time we go in town, all the men flirt with her; they've got Rayna fever. Some of the guys have even been single," she winked.

Zuko's eyes narrowed with jealously, and he began to tense up.

"That's not true," Rayna said.

"It is so true!" Suki replied, "None of the shopkeepers charged us for our groceries, and some gave us special items,"

"It was probably because of you," Rayna said, already done with the conversation.

"Oh yeah? Then how do you explain that giant bouquet for you? And all those presents?" Suki snapped back.

"It was only from one guy," Rayna replied.

"Yeah, a guy who is completely obsessed with you and in love with you!" Suki exclaimed. Zuko became even more tense as his jealousy consumed him with anger. "And get this, he's apparently the most popular, powerful, and attractive teen on Ember Island. Also, he comes from a wealthy high status family; that's how he was able to afford all those gifts and flowers," Suki continued.

"Who is it?!" Zuko suddenly burst out and demanded. His facial expression screamed anger and jealousy. Everyone was startled by his reaction.

"Uh, his name is Chan," Suki said slowly.

Zuko's eyes became instantly wide with realization; this was the same Chan who had the party when Azula, Zuko, Mei, and Ty Lee visited Ember Island. Originally, Zuko was planning on finding this guy and threatening him to stay away from Rayna (without her knowledge of course); but he couldn't do it to Chan without risking being recognized. He felt his body sink in defeat.

"Honestly, it's more trouble than it's worth," Rayna said, "I don't know what to do with all these flowers, and most of these gifts are just jewelry, clothing, and other things that'll never wear or use," she said, "I'm not saying that I'm ungrateful or anything, it was really sweet of him to do this for me and I did thank him. But, I'm just not used to being given all these gifts, and frankly I don't know how much I like it,"

"Mind if we look through the jewelry and clothing?" Katara asked, "Some of them are pretty cute," she commented as she rummaged through the gifts.

"Knock yourself out," Rayna replied, "Feel free to take the flowers as well," she said. She then grabbed the groceries and walked off to go prepare dinner for everyone.

While Katara, Suki, and even Toph looked through Rayna's gifts, Sokka and Aang cautiously approached Zuko. Zuko looked like he was about to explode and destroy something (or someone for that matter). Sokka and Aang weren't sure what to say, but they felt an obligation to help him out. Aang especially wanted to help since he was going through his own struggles with Katara. Sokka didn't have any love troubles, but he arguably had the most experience with girls.

"So…um…how ya doing?" Sokka asked, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Zuko immediately fired a huge fire blast at a random rock in complete rage. "ARGH!" he shouted as he stormed off.

"Oh…I see…," Sokka replied, a sight crack in his voice. He'd seen Zuko firebend using his anger before, yet, for some reason, this was by far the most terrifying one.

"Should we…," Aang started.

"Uh…maybe we shouldn't…," Sokka replied.

"Yeah…good plan…," Aang said as he and Sokka immediately headed back towards the girls.

Hours passed before Zuko returned back to the house. By then, everyone had started eating. When Rayna reached to grab him a serving, he told her he wasn't hungry. He was too busy wallowing in self-pity to be hungry.

"Oh, Zuko!" Sokka said with a mouth full of food, "I was just telling everyone that Suki and I were going to take care of the shopping from now on," he said.

Zuko felt an immediate sense of relief flow through him. He wanted to run over and hug Sokka, but he refused to do it since it was completely out of his character. "Why?" he asked, trying to act completely aloof.

Suki ran over and hugged Sokka, "He said he wanted to go shopping as an excuse to spend more time with me," she said cheerfully, "And he wanted to make sure no guys would approach me," she sighed.

"You'd figure that you two spend enough time together since you live in the same house and sometimes share a room," Rayna commented, "I just don't understand why I can't go along with you two. Idiot boy will probably screw up all the groceries," she said.

"Who you calling—," Sokka started to protest, but stopped himself, "Like Suki said, we want to spend more time together, so it'd be weird if you came along. Besides, we're always interrupted by you guys so at least we can be alone when we go shopping," he said.

Rayna simply rolled her eyes and sat back down to eat. Sokka looked over at Zuko and winked. Zuko nodded his head in appreciation. He then stood up to grab some food.

"I thought you weren't hungry," Rayna said.

"I'm hungry now," he said. He sat right next to Rayna, which was slightly surprising for everyone. "Thanks for the food," he said as he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Everyone's mouths dropped in shock, and Rayna's face turned completely pink from embarrassment. Despite the fact that she yelled at him and tried to beat him to death, Zuko had no regrets about kissing her on the cheek. She could try to stay as distant from him as possible, but he wasn't going to let her slip through his fingers.

A few days later, Rayna was staying even further away from Zuko. She told him she had to think about their relationship, yet he was going around and kissing her when he felt like it. The worst part was that now the whole team knew that Zuko liked her, and they (more specifically the girls) wouldn't shut up about it.

Rayna was about ready to crawl in a hole and die. Instead of doing that, though, she began to isolate herself by reading books she found around the house. She quite liked books and reading, so it was actually relaxing for her to take a break from everyone and just escape into the world of a book.

One day, while Sokka and Suki were in town, Aang and Zuko were practicing firebending using synchronized fire blast. While Katara and Toph watched them and sat on the steps, Rayna sat on the ground by the fountain and read a book, completely ignoring them. Zuko secretly wished she would watch him and Aang practicing; be impressed or even compliment him. Of course, in reality, Rayna would care more about Aang's improvement than Zuko in that scenario. At the same time, Aang was secretly hoping to impress Katara with his firebending. In the end, it was more of an attempt to impress the girls than an actual practice.

After Zuko and Aang relaxed their postures and bowed to one another, they walked away from each other. Aang went towards Katara, while Zuko went towards Rayna. Rayna was so immersed in the book that she didn't even move when Zuko sat on the fountain to towel off. Zuko was staring at her, trying to get her attention, but she was completely unfazed by it and kept reading.

Since Aang and Zuko were trying to help each other out with their love lives, Aang decided to help get Rayna's attention. "So, Rayna, what did you think? We did pretty good, and Zuko's a great teacher," Aang said unsubtlety.

"I wasn't watching, so I don't know why you're asking me," Rayna quickly replied. Both Aang and Zuko felt a shocking defeat at that moment.

Sokka and Suki returned from town with unusual grins on their faces, and Sokka had a suspicious rolled paper in his hand.

"You guys are not gonna believe this! There's a play about us," Sokka exclaimed excitedly.

Rayna immediately snapped out of her reading and an ugly expression spread across her face. She hated plays. When she was a little girl, if she couldn't fall asleep, her parents would put on a short play for her and she'd fall asleep immediately. She couldn't help it; they were always boring to her. Even when she saw a semi-professional play she'd fall asleep. She meant no disrespect, but she (literally) couldn't stand watching plays.

"You guys go on and enjoy your wacky time-wasting nonsense. I'm sitting this one out," Rayna said.

"No way," Sokka said, "This is a team avatar activity, which means that you are required to attend,"

"First of all, you can't require me to do anything. Secondly, it'd be pointless for me to go. I've told you before that I hate plays and I fall asleep when I watch them. Why sleep at the theatre when I can sleep at home?" she hissed.

"But this one is different!" he exclaimed, "It'll be more interesting because it's about us!"

"The fact that it's about us makes it even less interesting, Sokka," she replied.

"You'll get to see firsthand everything that happened before you joined the group! Don't you want to see what we were like before we met you?" he said.

"Frankly, you're probably the same idiot now that you were back then. Besides, I've already heard the whole finding Aang in the iceberg story and everything that followed," she replied.

"What about Zuko?!" he shouted, "You don't know what a jerk he was before you met him in Ba—," he started to say but immediately stopped himself. Sokka was still the only one who knew that Zuko was Lee, and Rayna didn't know that Sokka knew that Zuko was Lee. "Never mind, the point is that you are coming with us no matter what! And you will smile and laugh and enjoy this play!" he shouted.

Rayna's eye twitched in anger. What the hell was so important about going to see this stupid play? She honestly could care less about it, and the thought of seeing herself be played by someone else made her sick to her stomach. Besides, Zuko himself complained earlier about the plays the company did. Although she wanted to flash the evil glare and threaten Sokka, she was just not in the mood to kill him that day. "Fine. But if I fall asleep it's your own fault," she said.

"You won't sleep, because I will do everything in my power to make sure you stay awake during the play!" he challenged her.

"Try me, boy," she said menacingly.


	21. More Drama than a Play

The moment they entered the theatre, Rayna was ready to leave. She didn't even want to try to show interest in the play; she wanted to sit far in the back of the balcony so she could peacefully fall asleep and ignore everyone. However, just as she was about to sit in back, Sokka blocked her from entering the row.

"What are you doing?" Rayna asked.

"There is no way you're sitting in the back where you can easily sneak off," Sokka said. He immediately pointed down at Aang, "Aang, you need to switch seats with Rayna!" he commanded.

Aang, who'd already been cock-blocked by Zuko, did not want to surrender his seat and be even further from Katara. However, just as he was about to refuse, Zuko pushed Aang out of the way with a great force. "Of course she can sit here," Zuko replied.

"Good! You're in charge of making sure she doesn't fall asleep, Zuko," Sokka said.

Rayna simply glared at Sokka, but then rolled her eyes and begrudgingly sat down next to Zuko. Not only was she in the front row of the balcony, but she also had Sokka sitting right behind her and watching her like a hawk.

The curtain rose and the play started. While Katara and Sokka were overly excited seeing themselves onstage, Rayna was already getting bored. Actor Sokka was spot on with making bad jokes, while Actress Katara was spot on with her dramatic speeches about hope. While the others were laughing and cringing about it, Rayna found it entirely predictable. On the other hand, she couldn't help but laugh when she saw that Aang's actor was a bald lady; she was willing to admit that that character portrayal was hilarious.

Zuko seemed to be watching attentively, but he was secretly contemplating whether or not he should make a move on Rayna. He noticed that Sokka had his arm around Suki behind them. It looked like something couples would do, except he and Rayna weren't really a couple. At that point, he could only hope that she'd fall asleep on his shoulder so he could put his arm around her. He agreed to make sure she wouldn't fall asleep, but he wouldn't pass up an opportunity like that.

Suddenly, Actor Zuko and Actor Iroh made their appearance onstage. Zuko began to feel self-conscious, since Rayna didn't know him back then. He was more worried about how he'd be portrayed, but things were already looking grim since the scar was on the wrong side.

"They make me look totally stiff and humorless," he said stiffly, obviously displeased with his character portrayal. He didn't want Rayna to be persuaded by this character; he wasn't stiff and humorless at all, in his mind. However, he slumped down in his seat after the Actor Zuko repeated a line that he had said not a minute ago.

He suddenly looked over and noticed that Rayna was hiding her face and giggling to herself. Either she was laughing at the portrayal, or she somehow thought the character was funny. "What's so funny?" he growled.

"*Pfft* I can't believe…*giggle*…you had such a lame ponytail," she said and suddenly burst into laughter. Once again, Zuko slumped back down in his seat, even more defeated and dismayed than before.

After that, however, Rayna soon lost interest again in the play. She felt herself grow drowsy and start to fall asleep during the scene with King Bumi. By the waterbending scroll scene, she had passed out. Neither Zuko nor Sokka had noticed that she'd fallen asleep since they were so fixated on the play.

By the end of the Blue Spirit scene, her head tilted over and landed on Zuko's shoulder. Zuko didn't notice until after he and Aang exchanged an embarrassed look following the scene. When he realized that Rayna had fallen asleep on him, he felt his heart race like a stampede. He'd seen her sleeping face plenty of times before; when she cared for him while he was sick, when she fell asleep under the stars, and he got a glance of her sleeping face when they were in Zai. Besides, Mai had rested on his shoulder plenty of times before. So why was he so nervous now?

In the end, he was too nervous to do anything so he just fixated himself on the play while Rayna laid on his shoulder. Rayna didn't wake up until she heard the audience cheer at the end of the first act. She looked at her teammates and noticed that Toph was laughing her ass off while the others had ugly expressions of disgust on their faces.

During the intermission, Rayna didn't talk much since she couldn't remember most of the first act. All she could remember was bad food jokes, dramatic crying over hope, stiffness and humorlessness, a flying bald lady, and a lame ponytail. However, even though she agreed with Toph that the portrayals were pretty accurate, she felt slightly bad since everyone else seemed butt hurt over the stupid play.

Rayna sighed, "It's theatre, and the point is to be dramatic and entertaining. They're just over exaggerating the humorous or dramatic aspects of your personality. So although it holds truth, it's not as extreme as it appears," she continued, "And Aang, they probably casted you as a girl since it's easier to have females play a young boy than to find a younger boy," she said, "It's just a dumb play, so getting worried over it is a waste of your time,"

Although it wasn't much, Rayna's comments made everyone feeling slightly better about the play. Granted they still hated it, but they weren't as disgusted as before.

"Does that mean you watched the whole first act, Rayna?" Sokka asked hopefully.

"Huh? Oh, no. I fell asleep by like 5th scene," she admitted, "I didn't wake up until the end of the act,"

"What?!" Sokka said angrily, "That's it! You're sitting next to Suki and I so I can keep a closer watch on you," he commanded, "Aang, you go and sit by Zuko now!"

Although Aang was slightly happy that he got to sit a little closer to Katara, Zuko was upset that he wouldn't have another chance to make a move on Rayna. Rayna didn't care, she just enjoyed annoying Sokka. She knew he couldn't do anything to keep her awake, and by this point she was challenging him.

If the first act wasn't enjoyable for Rayna, she was really bored by the second act. Although she was surprised by Toph's very loud scream, she was overall uninterested. Everyone else, however, was confused as to why Rayna hadn't been mentioned or had a scene yet. It was already at Lake Laogai and there'd been no mention of her. She of course was fine not seeing herself onstage.

However, she suddenly became interested in the play during the scene in the Crystal Catacombs. Her eye began to twitch in anger as she saw Actress Katara and Actor Zuko flirting with each other. But then, things took a turn for the worst.

"The Avatar? Why, he's like a little brother to me! I certainly don't think of him in a romantic way," Actress Katara said, "And you shouldn't be talking. I saw you sneaking around town and making love faces at that Rayna girl…or should I say I saw Lee sneaking around?"

Both Rayna's and Zuko's mouths dropped wide open and their eyes were popping out of their heads. Suki, Aang, Toph, and Katara all had looks for genuine confusion.

"Please, I'm only with that peasant because I was lonely and clung to the first girl I could find," Actor Zuko stated, "All I had to do was compliment her and make her believe that she was worthwhile. She was only useful to take advantage of. In reality, I was waiting for you," Actor Zuko said as he inched in closer to Actress Katara.

Zuko's mouth dropped even wider and he felt an eerie presence glaring him down. Rayna's once baffled expression had completely changed into an expression of pure anger and hatred. The rest of the team (aside from Sokka, who already knew, and Aang, who'd left) was still confused as to why Actress Katara called Actor Zuko 'Lee'.

From there on, things only got worse. Actress Rayna did eventually make her appearance, except the actress looked nothing like the real Rayna; in fact, she looked like a clone of Katara, which only made Rayna angrier.

"But Lee, I thought you loved me?" Actress Rayna asked.

"You truly are naïve. How could someone like me love a worthless piece of peasantry trash like you?" Actor Zuko said. Actor Zuko then used a fire red streamer to hit Actress Rayna. Actress Rayna caught the red streamer and put it over her heart. The last sound was her crying, and then she died.

"Wait…did she just…," Sokka started to question, but quickly shut up as he saw Rayna's hellish glare of fury.

"Remember how I said the author did his research?" Toph said, "Yeah, he definitely didn't get Rayna right,"

By the end of the act, Rayna stormed out of the theatre in a furious rage. She'd never been so angry in her entire life, and was thinking completely irrationally. If she didn't get some air, she was positive she'd break something or someone. Even though she was being a hypocrite and completely ignoring the advice she'd given the others earlier, she believed her scenario was different since she was inaccurately portrayed.

By the time she did get outside, she felt like a mess. She was furious, yet she felt emotionless. She was heartbroken, yet she felt numb. Out of nowhere, tears began streaming down her face, but she didn't even react. She wasn't crying, but she was at the same time. The reason why she was so furious and heartbroken was because the play exploited all of her insecurities. She'd always compare herself to Katara, so seeing Actress Katara and Actor Zuko flirt as well as Actress Rayna looking like a literal clone of Katara only made her insecurities worse. At the same time, hearing Actor Zuko call her "naïve", "peasant", "worthless", and "trash" broke her. Growing up, that's what she was considered as by outsiders. Also, after Ba Sing Sae, she convinced herself many times that Zuko really only stayed with her for pathetic excuses. All her worries had been reaffirmed within only two scenes.

She hated this. There was a war going on, there were people dying, and so many people needed to be saved. Despite all the more important things, all she could do was be selfish and cry over a stupid guy. She just wanted to disappear again like she did when she went to Zai. She was so tired and confused of all these emotions; she wanted them to end.

Meanwhile, Zuko wanted to go chase after Rayna, but he was worried that she was furious. At the same time, he was dealing with his own grievances. This play only reminded him of all his past mistakes and how he betrayed his uncle, someone who's always stood up for him and treated him like his own son. But after talking it out with Toph and hearing what his uncle had to say about it, he felt a sense of relief fall over him.

"By the way, I know it's not my place to say and she might kill you if you approach her, you should go talk to Rayna," Toph added. "I don't know much about love or any of that crap. All I know is that Rayna is basically my friend, and I want her to be happy. If you really like her, you'll go after her,"

"I didn't know you cared so much about Rayna," Zuko responded.

"It's because when we first met she didn't see me as 'blind'. She noticed my fighting style and my personality; it's almost like she never knew I was blind," she admitted. Zuko remember back in Zai when she touched his scar like she was seeing it for the first time; guess she had a similar experience with Toph. "I hate to admit it, but I really admire Rayna. Even if she goes through hard times, she uses that struggle to make herself stronger. She uses her pain as a way to fight back," she said. She immediately punched Zuko, "But if you ever tell her, I will kill you,"

Zuko quickly rushed off in search of Rayna. He understood now, more or less anyways. He didn't care if she didn't want to see him, he didn't care if she would try to kill him (okay maybe he cared a little bit); the point was that he needed to be there for her. Just as she absorbed the pain and heartbreak from his scar, he wanted to take away her insecurities and worries.

Finally, he found her on a balcony above the ocean outside. The moment he walked out, she immediately turned her head away from him; she couldn't bear the thought of him seeing her in such a weak state. She'd already put too much faith and trust in him, she couldn't let him take advantage of her weakness again.

She suddenly felt Zuko hold her from behind. Although her heart skipped a beat, he was the last person she wanted to see right now. She just wanted to leave the stupid play and go back to the house, where she could be alone. She was angry and hurt and confused, yet she felt a tinge of happiness when he held onto her.

"I don't understand anything…," Rayna said.

"What do you mean?" Zuko asked.

"You've lied to me, you've betrayed me, you've burned me, you've made me cry…," she said, "You've hurt me in ways that no one else ever has. You've made me never want to open my heart to anyone again. You've insulted me. You make me so angry and furious that I could kill you on the spot. You know, for a cute guy, you're pretty dumb," she said.

"Rayna?"

"You're the only one who's ever made me feel beautiful," she continued, "You're the only one who's ever made my heart skip a beat. You're the only one who can hold me and make my troubles go away. You're the only one whose touch makes me weak. You're the only one who can just smile at me and make me want to melt. You're the only one who can make me feel safe in your arms. You're the only one who can make me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. You're the only one who can kiss me. You're the only one who can hold my hand," she began to cry.

"Wait, Ray—,"

"Why you? Where do these stupid feelings come from? Why…why are you the only one causing me so much confusion?" she continued to weep, "Why do I get so jealous when I see you with another girl? Why do I feel so lonely whenever you leave me? Why do you make my heart beat so fast? I don't get it at all," she wept, "Why…,"

Zuko let go of her and turned her face towards his; her hair was covering her face and she refused to look at him. When he pulled up her face and brushed away her hair, her face was covered in tears and was blushing pink. There was genuine hurt and confusion in her eyes.

"Rayna…do you…love me?" he asked.

"…Yes…and I hate it," she replied.

Suddenly, he put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her into an embrace. "I love you, too" he said as he kissed the top of her head.

As he held her, she buried her face into his chest. "…I hate you…," she replied, too embarrassed to say her feelings directly.

"I know," he chuckled.

Zuko continued to hold her in an embrace for a while. Even if she didn't say the words directly and even if she'd likely deny it in the future, he was happy enough knowing that her feelings existed. In that moment, he didn't want to kiss her; he wanted to hold her close and never let go. Rayna had never been more embarrassed in her life, yet she felt at peace when he held onto her.

"Rayna, there's no need to be jealous of Katara," he whispered, "There's no need for you to be jealous of anyone, because I love you more than anyone else,"

Rayna blushed harder and buried her face more into his chest, "Cheesy bastard," she muttered.

The lights began to flicker in the theatre, indicating the end of the intermission. Rayna finally pulled her face out of Zuko's chest, "Do we have to go?"

"Why, do you want to stay with me like this?" he teased her.

"No," she immediately responded, "I just really hate this dumb play,"

"We all do…except maybe Toph," he commented, "If we don't go back, Sokka will throw a tantrum," he added.

Rayna sighed, "I'd rather sit through the torture than deal with him," she groaned.

Zuko let go of Rayna, only to grab onto her hand. As he led them back to their seats, Rayna stopped for a bit.

"It was nice…by the way…when you held onto me…," she mumbled from embarrassment.

Zuko smiled and kissed her on the head, "I love you,"

"I hate you," she replied.

Zuko just sighed and chuckled, "I know,"


	22. Stereotypical Beach Scene of Love

Rayna and Zuko held hands for the remainder of the play, and during the walk home. Although Rayna was slightly embarrassed by it, she liked holding onto Zuko's hand. After everything that had happened between them, it finally felt like everything was at peace. Even though they definitely weren't perfect and still had a lot of things to work on, they were happy.

Despite this, Zuko was troubled by something. He still hadn't told Rayna about Mai, and, knowing how jealous she got over Katara, he didn't know how she'd react. Although he'd like to think that she wouldn't care since technically she and him weren't together back then, he knew she'd likely feel betrayed and hurt by it. He knew he should've told her sooner, but he didn't want her to become even more distant from him. Now, he was worried that his victory of wining her back would be short-lived.

They were only teenagers, practically kids, and there was no guarantee they would be together in the future. They could easily grow apart or fall in love with someone else. Even though he knew all of this could happen, he still wanted to believe that they'd stay together for a long time…or even forever. He knew how stupid this was and how overly romanticized he sounded, but he couldn't help it. He wanted to rely on her and in turn be relied upon. He wanted her to always and forever only look at him, touch only him, and love only him. He always wanted to be with her; to talk with her, to tease her, to know more about her.

By the time they got back to the house, everyone was exhausted and distraught over the play. Aang, Katara, Toph, Suki, and Sokka immediately went off to bed, while Rayna and Zuko awkwardly stood next to each other in silence. Neither of them knew what to do or say. The obvious answer was to say goodnight and go to bed, but neither of them were sure they'd be able to fall asleep. At the same time, they felt like they had a million things they wanted to say to each other.

As they stood in silence, Zuko remembered something that Lo and Li told him; _Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand, Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate. Ember Island reveals the true you_. He also remembered how he, Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee were able to openly express themselves and learn things about themselves that they were previously unaware of. Perhaps it would work with him and Rayna?

"Hey, Ray?" Zuko asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes?" she responded.

"Um…if you're not doing anything right now, would you…um…like to go walk down to the beach and…be together?" he asked.

Rayna slightly giggled "Be together?"

Zuko blushed, "Uh yeah, I guess that's what I said,"

"Okay," she said.

She gently reached out her hand to him, signaling she wanted to hold hands. Zuko looked down at her; her face was turned the other way in embarrassment. He chuckled a bit, and grabbed her hand. Slowly, hand in hand, they walked down towards the beach.

As they walked down, Rayna could feel the calming ocean breeze wrapping around her. She closed her eyes and let the sounds of the waves fill her ears. She never knew that something she feared could be so beautiful.

"It's so…peaceful," she whispered to herself. As she said that to herself, she felt Zuko's arms wrapped around her from behind. It was only a hug, yet she could feel her heartrate slowly rise as his warmth ensnared her body.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied, "I just wanted to touch you…can I?"

Rayna's face immediately turned red, "…you can…," she hesitantly replied.

Zuko then rested his head onto the back of her head and gently kissed her neck. He chuckled a bit, "Your hair's gotten long,"

Rayna leaned her head back onto his chest and looked up at him, "Really?"

"Yeah," he said before reaching down and gently kissing her nose, "I love you,"

Rayna blushed, "I…know," she replied.

They once again stood in silence as Zuko held onto Rayna. Neither of them were sure what to say or how to say something. Zuko wanted to say something about Mai, but he was still scared about Rayna's reaction. But if he didn't say something then, it would only get worse.

Zuko took a deep breath, "Rayna?"

"Yes?" she replied.

"I…well…there's something I need to tell you…something I should've said a long time ago,"

"Okay,"

"You see, um, after Ba Sing Sae, I went back home to the Fire Nation and I became a prince again. But, while I was home, something happened. There was this girl. She was more than just a girl to me…she was my girlfriend,"

"I know,"

"No wait just please let me explain. I know you're probably mad that I moved on so quickly after what happened between us. But it was different! Sure we kissed, sometimes made out…,"

"I know,"

"No you don't! Please understand— wait what?"

"Zuko, I know about Mai," Rayna said, "I've known for a while,"

Zuko was frozen in shock, "B-b-but how?"

"Aram told me,"

"But how did he know?"

"Sokka told him. Aram was freaking out because he thought you had feelings for me. Sokka tried to calm Aram down by telling him that you had a girlfriend back home named Mai, so you couldn't possibly be in love with me. Sokka just didn't realize Aram would tell me, so it's not his fault," she replied, "Zuko, I don't care that you dated another girl. We weren't together at the time, and I had no intention of ever seeing you again,"

"Really? You weren't jealous?" he asked, almost disappointed.

"Of course I was jealous. I was too stubborn to admit it, though. At the time, I thought we were just friends and had no romantic interest in each other. Besides, I realized something when I found out about Mai,"

"What?"

"You've got a thing for pale girls with black hair," she chuckled.

Zuko's face immediately turned red, "N-N-NO I D-DON'T!" he replied.

"Calm down," Rayna kept chuckling, "I'm just teasing you,"

Zuko simply sighed in response. He felt himself let go of Rayna and plop down onto the sand. He looked back up at Rayna, "Come down here," he said.

"Why? I don't feel like getting sand in my clothes,"

"Then just lay on top of me. I want to tell you something,"

"Can't you tell me from here?"

"No,"

Rayna sighed, "Fine,"

She slowly lowered herself down and rested her chin on Zuko's chest while she lay on top of him. "What is it?"

Zuko brought his hand up to her cheek and gently stroked it, "I love you,"

Rayna blushed, "You said that already,"

"I know. I just like saying it,"

"Is that all you wanted to say?"

"No," he said. He then pulled himself up and wrapped his arms around her before passionately kissing her. "I wanted to do that too," he smiled.

Rayna's mouth was gaping open and her face was as red as fire. "I-I-I-If that's all you wanted to do, t-t-t-then I'm going b-b-b-back," she quickly stuttered.

"No, don't," Zuko said as he pulled her into an embrace, "Let's just stay here for a little longer,"

"And do what? It's not like I can swim,"

"Just talk. I still don't know a lot about you,"

"Maybe that's a good thing," she said as she lowered her head.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not…I haven't always been a good person, Zuko. Back then, before I met you and even before I met everyone else, I was…well…I really was worthless garbage," she said, "I don't want your opinion of me to change because of it,"

Zuko pulled her head back up towards him, "Rayna, it's okay. In case you haven't noticed, I haven't always been a good person either. I'm not even that good now. You didn't care when you found out I was Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation, right? You only cared that I hurt you," he said. Rayna gently nodded her head in response. "Therefore, I don't care what you did in the past. I only care that you're open and honest with me. We need to be open and honest with each other,"

Rayna hesitated, "I don't know if I can. Sokka doesn't even know the full extent of what I was like…and I tell him everything,"

Zuko paused. She made a convincing argument. Nonetheless, he wanted to know everything about her, even the bad things. "Let me tell you something about this beach. A while back, some people told me 'Like waves washing away the footprints on the sand, Ember Island gives everyone a clean slate. Ember Island reveals the true you',"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"This beach has a way of making you tell people your true feelings. What bothers you, hurts you, what's eating you up inside, or even what makes you happy,"

"Are you sure? That kind of sounds like bullshit,"

"It's true. I promise,"

Rayna slightly smiled, "Well, here goes nothing I guess,"

Rayna and Zuko proceeded to talk about all the demons from their past. Rayna told him how she used to steal from people and, sometimes, hurt them if they treated her disrespectfully. She expressed that her heart was filled with anger and nothing else. For her, that was one of the scariest times in her life. She also told him more about her family; her parents and her current guardians. Zuko also talked about his family, more specifically his mother. Even though it hurt them to talk about these things, it felt relieving to finally tell someone else, especially someone the loved, about all these things.

Rayna eventually fell asleep while she and Zuko were talking. He carried her like a princess back to her room. Like before, she clung to him like a child and snuggled into him as he held her. He felt himself grow tired as he looked at her. He wondered if it'd be okay to sleep next to her. He obviously couldn't ask, so he knew he shouldn't.

When he arrived at her bedroom, he gently lay her down on the bed. Again, like before, she immediately laid on her side in a fetal position and held her arms out as if she was holding onto an invisible doll. However, just as Zuko was standing up to leave, Rayna's hand grabbed his arm and quickly pulled him back down onto the bed. She then wrapped her arms and leg around him, pulling him into a tight embrace. Zuko looked at her and saw that, somehow, she was still asleep.

But as he was trying to push himself away, she faintly whispered in her sleep, "Zuko,". Zuko blushed in response, but soon felt himself pulling Rayna closer to his chest. He smiled and gently kissed the top of her head before soon falling asleep.

The next morning, at breakfast while everyone was eating, Zuko stood up and clearly stated, "By the way, Rayna and I are dating now and we are completely and madly in love,"

Rayna immediately spit out her food in response, "WHAT?"

"She confessed her love for me at the play last night, and we spent the night together," Zuko continued.

Rayna immediately ran over and smacked him, "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm just telling them about us!" he angrily responded. Rayna smacked him again in response.

"Hey congrats you guys!" Suki said.

"It's about time," Toph said.

"This is wonderful news!" Katara exclaimed, "It's so good that you're together. I'm so jealous of what a cute couple you guys make," she admitted. Aang slightly glared at her in response, remembering their conversation the night before at the play.

"Our Rayna has finally learned how to love," Sokka smirked.

While everyone said their congratulations, Rayna continued to beat up Zuko in embarrassment.


	23. A Rayna Bender

As Aang practiced his firebending with Zuko, Rayna casually watched from the side. She felt a need to observe his form and techniques, even though she wasn't a firebender. She had to make sure Aang was improving and understanding the techniques Zuko was teaching him. At the same time, even though she denied it, she liked watching Zuko teach Aang and practice with him; she found it inspiring and thought it was cute (even a little sexy) how passionate Zuko was about teaching Aang.

One thing that was bothering her, though, was everyone's sudden laziness. She'd been training and working harder than ever, yet it seemed as if no one else cared. Frankly, compared to everyone else, she didn't need to be training as hard. She'd been through intensive training since she was 5 years old, and her guardians never gave her a break. At the same time, she didn't need to remember new bending techniques. She knew the basic forms and what every movement meant for every type of bending, which was enough for her. Even if she was treated like she was at a disadvantage for not being a bender, she was perfectly proud of being normal.

She perfectly understood why Zuko was irritated with Aang and everyone else for slacking off. However, ever since she and Zuko became a couple, everyone was either sending her off to take care of Zuko or using her to make Zuko participate in some activity (most of the time she didn't even want to participate). Sokka claimed it was her "girlfriend obligation" to deal with him. Part of her wished that she and Zuko would've kept their relationship a secret; in fact, she wanted to keep it a secret from the very beginning. However, after she admitted that she loved him at the play, he made it very clear to everyone that they were dating. She didn't even like it when the others would say phrases like "He loves you", "You love him", and other embarrassing things; it was only okay when Zuko said it in private.

"Hey Rayna, your boyfriend is wandering off again. Go get him and make him relax," Sokka commanded.

"Why? He probably needs some space from you lazy morons," she growled. _I need some space from this moron_ , she thought to herself.

"What about your 'girlfriend obligation'?" Sokka commented.

Rayna felt her skin crawl with anger, "You can take that stupid girlfriend obligation and shove it right up your—," she started to say, but she stopped herself and sighed, "Forget it. You're not even worth it,"

She quickly stormed off from everyone. _Stupid Sokka. Stupid girlfriend obligation. That's not even a real thing. I'm his girlfriend, not his mom! How does Suki even survive with that miserable oaf?! Whatever, screw him_ , she thought to herself. However, she did end up searching for Zuko in the end. She wanted to offer to train with him, since he was irritated about Aang not training. It wasn't much, but maybe it'd make him feel better. Besides, it felt like that was the only way they could spend time together.

Before she could find him, however, she was suddenly kidnapped by Sokka and forced to go to the beach party. She was beyond irritated with Sokka at that point because (1) she hated parties, (2) she couldn't swim, (3) she hated Sokka, and (4) she just didn't want to be there. While everyone was either swimming or playing in the sand, she sat as far away as possible in the shade and read a book.

Things only got worse when Sokka walked over and took her book away. "Why are you sulking in the shade? Has Zuko really rubbed off on you that much?"

"Last time I checked, you kidnapped me, made me wear someone's old swimsuit, and forced me to come here. You're also using Appa as a barricade to prevent me from leaving. Just what is your damage?" she asked angrily.

"We figured if you were here then Zuko would come hangout with us too. After all, he is in love—," he started to say. Suddenly, Rayna kicked him in the stomach so hard that he landed a few feet away.

"I'm this close to strangling your limp noodle of a neck," she hissed.

Sokka was about to protest, until a brilliant idea popped into his head. Suddenly, he grabbed Rayna and picked her up. He began to walk towards a cliff while he held her over his shoulders, completely ignoring her punches and kicks.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she demanded.

"Once Zuko knows that you are in danger, he'll definitely come over and rescue you. Then he'll hangout with us!" he responded, overly cheerful.

"What kind of a moronic plan is that?!" she demanded.

"A brilliant one," he replied before throwing her off the cliff and into the water.

"SSSSOOOKKKKKAAAAAA!" she screamed as she fell into the water.

When Sokka noticed Zuko running over, he thought he was coming to save Rayna. However, things didn't go as planned once Zuko started attacking Aang. More importantly, he destroyed the sculpture of Suki.

Almost as if he'd forgotten that he'd just thrown Rayna into the ocean, he ran off after Zuko and Aang. While everyone left, Rayna was slowly drowning. She kept screaming out for Sokka or anyone for that matter to come and save her. She was so angry with Sokka, and she was scared about the fact that she could easily die in that moment.

Meanwhile, everyone was confronting Zuko about attacking Aang. Neither Zuko nor Rayna knew that everyone had decided to wait until after the comet for Aang to face the Firelord. Everyone kept discussing the plan for Aang's training while Rayna continued to drown far off. It wasn't until everything was resolved and the group hug occurred that Zuko noticed that Rayna was missing.

"Hey, where's Rayna? If I had to do the group hug, so does she," Zuko asked.

Sokka's eyes suddenly went wide with realization as he remembered that he'd thrown Rayna, who couldn't swim, into the ocean.

"Last time I saw her, she was with Sokka," Suki said as she looked over to Sokka, "Do you know where she went?"

A sense of doom fell over Sokka. Perhaps throwing a girl who can't swim into the ocean wasn't a good idea after all. "Uh…well…she's…in the water…,"

"Why would she be there? She can't swim," Zuko asked suspiciously.

"Well…I kind of somehow maybe in a sense threw her into the ocean…,"

"YOU DID WHAT?!" everyone else demanded at the same time.

"Since putting her in a bathing suit wasn't working, I figured that Zuko would come hangout with us if her life was in danger…," he said. _Yeah, that sounds worse out loud._

"This has got to be the stupidest thing you've ever done!" Katara shouted.

"Hey, while we're wasting time pointing fingers and blaming people, Rayna is probably drowning," he said nonchalantly.

"AND WHOSE FAULT IS THAT?!" everyone else shouted.

Quickly, everyone ran back towards the beach. Although Zuko was ready to kill Sokka, he figured he'd kill him after they save Rayna (or at least Rayna would kill him). Rayna was almost at her breaking point; her breaths were shortening and she was slowly sinking into the ocean.

Suddenly, just as Zuko was about to jump into the water, a towering, whirling column of water arose from the ocean. Everyone stared in completely shock as they saw Rayna at the top of the column. Normally, they'd assume either Aang or Katara was bending the water. However, Aang and Katara were perfectly still in shock.

As Rayna gasped for air and coughed up water, she didn't realize what was happening to her. It wasn't until she looked down and noticed the column of water that she realized what was happening. Freaked out, the column immediately stopped and she fell back into the water. This time, though, Zuko quickly swam over to save her.

The moment Rayna and Zuko were out of the ocean, Rayna immediately ran over the Sokka and started strangling him to death.

"YOU WORTHLESS, MISERABLE, PATHETIC, IDIOTIC BASTARD!" she shouted as she strangled him. As she continued to strangle him, she quickly kneed him in the balls and kicked him in the shins.

No one was complaining as she was killing Sokka, but they did eventually pull her away from him once his face started to turn blue. Zuko held her back as she angrily tried to escape so she could beat the living hell out of Sokka.

"Ray, calm down," Zuko said as he held her back. Rayna, however, was not calming down. Sokka knew full well she couldn't swim, and she was afraid of swimming after almost drowning in Zai.

"No way! I'm going to kill him! He threw me into the water, and left me to drown!" Rayna shouted in anger.

"In my defense," Sokka said, "I thought Zuko was coming to save you. So, it's Zuko's fault that you almost drowned,"

Zuko's eye twitched in anger, "On second thought, feel free to kill him," he said as he released Rayna from his grasp.

Rayna immediately pounced on Sokka and began beating him up again. It wasn't until Sokka was noticeably bleeding that Zuko tore Rayna away from him again. Although she fought back at first, she eventually calmed down and stopped resisting.

"Whatever. He's not worth it anyways," she mumbled to herself. She quickly freed herself from Zuko's embrace and ran away.

"Rayna, wait—," Zuko started to say.

"Zuko, leave her be. I'll go talk to her," Katara said. Although Zuko wanted to go, he knew that Katara would be better in this situation. She was after all the mom of the group, and this situation called for some motherly-like advice.

"Fine, you go. Toph and I will train with Aang," he said.

Katara nodded her head and ran off in Rayna's direction. It took a while for her to find Rayna, but she eventually found her hidden behind the house. Rayna's head was buried into her chest, and Katara could just barely hear her crying.

"Hey," Katara said gently.

Rayna picked up her head and turned towards Katara, wiping away her tears in the process, "Hi," she said weakly.

"Mind if I sit?"

"No, go ahead,"

Katara walked over and plopped herself down next to Rayna. "I'm really sorry for what Sokka did. I should've been paying attention, then I could've—,"

"Don't blame yourself. The only person at fault here is Sokka. Thank you for apologizing on his behalf, but it doesn't mean anything if it's not coming from the perpetrator himself," she sighed, "Besides, you're not here to talk about that, are you?"

Katara looked down, "You're right, I'm not. I just figured I'd ease my way into the conversation,"

"It's nice of you to try and do that, but don't bother. I prefer it when people say what's really on their mind instead of beating around the bush,"

"I guess you're right," Katara said, "So, how did you do it?"

"I'm not sure. At first I thought it was either you or Aang helping me out. But then I looked over and saw that you guys weren't doing anything. Unless you can waterbend with your mind, I know I was the one who waterbended,"

"I just don't understand; wouldn't you have realized sooner than this?"

"I've told you before that I have a family of late bloomers. I didn't tell you, however, how they realize their benders. For some reason, bending in our family doesn't unlock until we're in mortal danger. My mom, for example, realized she was an earthbender when she was about to be crushed by an avalanche of rocks. My dad realized he was a healer, which meant he was a waterbender, when he was brutally attack by a wild animal. Aram realized he was a firebender when he was freezing to death after he got lost. I guess I unlocked my waterbending by almost drowning,"

"Then why didn't you unlock it in Zai?"

"I might have…I'm not sure. My memory is kind of fuzzy; if it did happen, then I guess I forgot or didn't realize it was me,"

Katara looked over at her, "You…don't seem very happy about this,"

"Because I'm not," Rayna responded sharply, "I've always been proud of being a master fighter even though I wasn't a bender. Everyone thought that being a bender was the greatest thing and that you immediately had the upper hand in fights, but I wanted to prove them wrong. For 10 years, I trained by ass off trying to become a master combatant. I even learned all the basic bending moves so I knew how to counteract them in fights! So no, I'm not happy that I'm a waterbender,"

"It's not a bad thing you know, being a bender,"

"Maybe for other people it isn't. But for me, it feels like now I must abandon everything I've every trained for and learned because I'm a waterbender. It's not fair!"

Katara sat in silence, unsure how to respond. She tried to understood Rayna's anger, but in the end, it was hard for her to emphasize with it. She loved being a waterbender, and she remembered how excited she was when she discovered that she could bend. She also worked hard and trained to become a waterbending master. In the end, hers and Rayna's situations were too different.

"I know you don't want to hear this, but I think you should learn how to waterbend," Katara said, "But before you get angry, just let me explain why. You just pulled off a move that I never even dreamed I could do when I started waterbending. You're already so strong, it'd be a waste to give it up. At the same time, you can apply you combat skills to waterbending. It won't be the same, but it means you can use both of your abilities together," she continued, "I don't understand what's going through your head right now, and I never will. But I think refusing to try waterbending would be a waste of your talents. And I can teach you, so I'll be there to help you along the way. We obviously won't be able to teach you much before the comet arrives, but I think we can teach you enough,"

Rayna didn't respond. She just looked down at the ground with her hair covering her face. She knew Katara was right, even though she didn't want to admit it. Even if her two abilities could coexist, she felt like she was betraying all her previous notions and beliefs about benders and non-benders. But, it'd be dumb to waste an opportunity to learn a new technique. Besides, it could help in battle; she was only known as a fighter, but now she would surprise people by waterbending.

Rayna sighed, "You're right. I hate to say it, but you're right. In the end, it'd be stupid to pass up an opportunity like this," she looked towards Katara, "Besides, I know you'll be a great teacher,"

Katara smiled and blushed a little in response. "Thanks, Ray," she said. She stood up and extended her hand to Rayna, "If you're going to be a decent waterbender by the time the comet arrives, we kind of need to start training right now,"

"Yeah, I guess we do," Rayna weakly chuckled. She grabbed Katara's hand and pulled herself up, "It's ironic though. A waterbender who can't swim? Weird if you ask me,"

Katara laughed and then smiled, "Come on, let's start training,"


	24. Fear of Death

It'd only been a few hours since Rayna learned she was a waterbender, yet she'd already learned so much from Katara. She still wasn't used to waterbending and often screwed up, but she felt proud of herself. Katara, on the other hand, was extremely impressed with Rayna's natural abilities. It reminded her of when she started teaching Aang and how he got the hang of it right away. Although she kept complimenting Rayna on her natural abilities, Rayna kept insisting that she was only good because she had already learned waterbending moves and techniques from Saber, one of her guardians.

"In the span of a few hours, we've covered phase change, water cloak, water bullet, water whip, wave, and water shield. I'd say we've made some good practice, disciple Rayna," Katara said, "We still have quite a few moves to cover though, and we haven't even started ice moves,"

"Disciple Rayna request that Sifu Katara gives her a break, because disciple Rayna is exhausted," Rayna responded.

"A break as in streaming the water instead of learning new moves?"

"No. A break as in stop waterbending for a while,"

"Fine, how about five minutes?" Katara suggested. Rayna immediately glared at Katara, "Come on, Rayna. After today, we won't have any more time. We need to get through everything as soon as possible,"

"I understand that, but I won't learn anything if all I do is keep working. It's not unreasonable to want a small break," Rayna responded.

"Okay, fine. I guess a break would be nice," Katara admitted, "Can I just try one thing out really quick?"

Rayna sighed, "Fine. What is it?"

Katara immediately scratched Rayna's arm with a rock. "What the hell was that for?!" Rayna demanded as she looked at her bleeding wound.

"Try healing it," Katara said.

"Okay but how?"

"Redirect your chi throughout your body using water as a catalyst,"

"I'll pretend I understood what that meant," Rayna responded. She lifted the water onto her hand and brought it towards the cut. A small glow appeared, but it disappeared almost immediately. Rayna looked at her wound, "Well, I kind of stopped the bleeding,"

"Hey, there's hope for you yet. It's not much, but it's a start," Katara said, "Anyways, what do you want to do?"

"I'm not sure. In general, I just want to get out of the water and go back to the house," Rayna said.

Katara and Rayna walked back towards the house together while drying off their bodies. Rayna looked over and saw Zuko and Aang together. She nudged Katara and pointed in their direction, asking Katara if she wanted to go watch. Katara nodded her head and they headed over. As she and Katara sat down under the pavilion, Zuko and Aang were practicing the lightning redirection form.

"You feel so powerful holding that much energy in your body, but you know if you make the wrong move, it's over," Zuko explained. Rayna began to feel a sense of unease in her heart as she listened to Zuko's words.

"Well, not over over. I mean there's always Katara and a little Spirit Water action," Aang chuckled.

Rayna turned towards Katara in concern. Katara stood up and said, "Actually, I used it all up after Azula shot you,"

Although Aang was excited to see Katara, he couldn't help but be disappointed with her response. Zuko, on the other hand, simply stated, "You'll have to take the Fire Lord's life before he takes yours,"

The unease that Rayna felt before only increased. She hadn't even though of taking someone else's life, yet Zuko made it sound so easy. At the same time, she'd almost forgotten how powerful and deadly lightning was. It was lightning that killed her father. She could now clearly remember seeing the giant bolt of lightning streaming from the soldier's fingers at her father, striking him right in the heart. Not even healing could save him from his wound.

She suddenly remembered one of the last scenes in the play. During a battle between Actor Zuko and Actress Azula, Actress Azula killed Actor Zuko by shooting lightning at him. She knew Zuko was perfectly capable of defeating Azula, and he did know how to redirect her lightning. Even though she knew that, fear and anxiety flooded through her body. Azula was strategic and always had a trick up her sleeve. What if something happened and Zuko was stuck by lightning?

A small tear rolled down from her eye. It hadn't occurred to her until now that she could easily lose more of her friends and her family. She wasn't sure if she could handle more deaths in her life. She'd rather die herself than live through that pain. And what if someone died protecting her, just like in the past? She would break. She wasn't ready, but then again she'd never be ready.

"Rayna?" Zuko asked. Rayna snapped out of her thoughts and saw Zuko squatting right in front of her. He gently raised his hand and wiped a tear away from her cheek, "What's wrong?"

Without thinking, Rayna immediately wrapped her arms around Zuko and pulled him into a tight embrace. She buried her head into his chest to hide her emotions. She couldn't have him worry about her, she couldn't let anyone worry about her for that matter. For now, all she could do was savor these possible last moments with everyone.

"I love you," Rayna responded.

Zuko blushed upon hearing her response; it was the first time she'd ever explicitly said she loved him. He retuned her embrace, "I love you too," he responded.

It wasn't just Rayna who was worried about losing more loved ones, Zuko was worried too. He was worried about everyone, but he was more worried about losing Rayna. It was unfair to everyone else, especially Aang (because if Aang lost, then they were doomed). But he couldn't help it; he was a teenage boy in love with a teenage girl, and that girl meant the world to him. Even the thought of her getting hurt scared him.

Zuko pulled Rayna's head up towards his face. It's obvious that something was bothering Rayna, and he wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure he'd get a response. Knowing Rayna, she didn't want to tell him because she thought it would somehow burden him. Even though they talked about not keeping secrets from each other, he knew that it'd take a while for her to tell him everything. Instead of asking, he just reached down and kissed her.

Their kiss, however, was interrupted by an 'ahem' from Katara. "Sorry to interrupt, but Rayna and I should get back to training," Katara said.

Rayna and Zuko quickly separated, and she got up and walked away with Katara. Zuko stared at her for a bit, still curious about what was going through her head, but he eventually walked away.

Katara taught Rayna breath of ice, ice claws, ice creeper, ice shield, ice spear, water pressure manipulation, and even octopus form before they were summoned to the rocky cliffs near the beach for a practice battle. The plan was for Suki and Sokka to draw fire, then to have Katara and Zuko charge in and "distract" the Melon Lord. When the Melon Lord was "distracted", Aang would go and finish the job. Toph and Rayna were assigned with defending Melon Lord. Rayna still felt unease about the whole situation, and didn't have enough confident her in abilities (in contrast to Toph who thoroughly enjoyed her role as Melon Lord).

During the "battle", Rayna did her best to use waterbending. In the end, though, she broke the plan and resorted to her basic combat. She felt more confident with her master combat skills than waterbending. But everything was happening so fast that she didn't even do that well with her combat.

When Aang jumped in and prepared to strike Melon Lord, a wave of fear flew over Rayna. It was just a watermelon on a dummy body, yet she didn't want Aang to kill it. She wanted to reach out her hand and stop Aang, but she couldn't. When Aang didn't strike Melon Lord, though, a wave of relief flooded over her. That relief was soon ended when Sokka decapitated Melon Lord without even flinching. Sokka then walked over towards Rayna with anger in his eyes.

"And what was that?!" Sokka asked, "I've never seen a worse performance from you. Do you even care? You and Katara spent all that time training, it should've done you some good! She even said that you were doing well, but obviously, she was lying," he continued, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Rayna simply looked down and walked away from Sokka. She didn't know what to say or how to respond; she was too confused and conflicted to even think.

"Rayna, are you listening to me?" Sokka demanded.

Rayna hesitated, "I…I have to make dinner!" she said before she ran off towards the house. She knew she should've talked with Sokka, but she didn't want to tell him about the uneasiness and fear she had experience during the practice battle. Besides, she did have to make dinner so she technically wasn't lying.

Later that night, as everyone was eating dinner, Rayna didn't even touch her food. She just stared at it and kept thinking about her mixed emotions towards everything. She didn't even laugh when Katara showed everyone the baby picture; she was too involved in her own thoughts.

She did, however, snap out of them when she'd heard Aang's argument with everyone. Unlike everyone else, she agreed with Aang. She wasn't a monk, but her guardians always advised her to never kill. To them, it takes away your life when you take someone else's life. At the same time, she knew that no one was inherently evil. There were horrible people who did horrible things, but she knew that they were still human and had good in them. She couldn't understand why everyone was so willing to kill the Fire Lord. She understood that he was a horrible person and did horrible things; after all, he ordered the attack on her village which resulted in the loss of her home and her parents. She believed killing in war was still killing, and killing was an act of murder no matter what. By killing Ozai, they would be reducing themselves to the same level as their enemies.

But she said nothing. She knew that speaking up would only lead to trouble. Instead, she kept it bottled up inside and said nothing for the rest of the night. She couldn't even sleep that night, even with Zuko sleeping by her side. Every time she closed her eyes she'd relive her parent's deaths as well as picture murdering someone.

In moments like these, she wished that her guardians were there, especially Morro. Morro treated and loved Rayna like she was his own flesh and blood. While the others loved Rayna as well, she felt closest to Morro. He was always fair and honest with her. He told her what she needed to hear, not what she wanted to hear. She remembered once asking him why he was always right. He told her that he wasn't always right, he just had more experience being wrong. Morro was always there for her when she was confused or lost. Even though she could talk with other people about her problems, she knew that only Morro would listen to her worries instead of thinking about how to reply.

After what had happened the night before, Rayna wasn't surprised that Aang was missing. She just figured that he ran off for a bit, but didn't realize that he completely disappeared from existence. Even Nyla, June's shirshu, couldn't find Aang. This only added to Rayna's list of worries, which was starting to exceed his limits. She hoped that Aang was somehow on a spiritual journey seeking advice from his predecessors on how to defeat Ozai, even though his body was nowhere to be found.

During the day-long journey to find Iroh, Rayna remained silence and kept her thoughts to herself. Eventually they reached the breached Outer Wall of Ba Sing Sae, and made camp for the night. Once again, Rayna couldn't fall asleep; she just stared at the stars and let her thoughts run wild. Suddenly, a ring of fire surrounded their encampment. Rayna looked up and saw five old men staring down at them.

"Hello, Rayna," a deep, husky voice called out.


	25. Morro

"Hello, Rayna," a deep, husky voice called out.

Rayna looked up towards one of the five old men standing before her. She recognized his voice, but couldn't quite make out his face. It was until the man stepped out from the shadows that Rayna realized who he was. Tears welled up in Rayna's eyes, and she ran into the man's embrace.

Zuko looked over towards Rayna and the mysterious man. Zuko had never seen him before, but Rayna obviously knew him very well, otherwise she wouldn't be so happy to see him. Zuko slowly walked over towards Rayna.

The old man looked over and noticed Zuko approaching them. "And who is this young man?" he asked Rayna.

"Oh, right. I forgot you two hadn't met," Rayna responded. She walked over and grabbed Zuko's hand, pulling him towards the man. "Zuko, this is Morro, my guardian," she said. Zuko extended his hand towards Morro. "And Morro, this is Zuko. He's my…um…," she hesitated.

"Boyfriend," Zuko stated firmly, "I'm her boyfriend,"

Although he looked shocked at first, Morro eventually smiled and shook Zuko's hand, "It's nice to meet you, Zuko. I am Morro, Rayna's master and guardian,"

After shaking Morro's hand, Zuko bowed before him, "It's an honor to meet you, sir. Rayna has told me many wonderful things about you, and I'm glad she has you as her guardian,"

Morro chuckled bit, "My, my, such polite manners for a teenager,"

"So, you don't mind? You know, that I'm her…boyfriend?" Zuko asked.

"Of course I mind," Morro firmly responded. His once smiling face turned into a frown, "If you ever do anything, and I mean anything, to my little girl, I promise that I will hunt you down and torture you to your last dying breath,"

Zuko's eyes went wide with fear, and even the others felt afraid for him. Morro's reaction reminded him of Aram's initial threat towards him back on the airship. Zuko gulped, "I promise, sir, that I will never harm Rayna. I care about her, and I love her,"

Morro continued to stare down at Zuko, "For your sake, I hope you're telling the truth," he said. He then grabbed Rayna and turned away from Zuko. Zuko felt his spirits sink; first Aram, and now Morro too? He couldn't impress anyone in Rayna's family.

After Morro and the other masters revealed that they were members of the Order of the White Lotus and that they were summoned to Ba Sing Sae by Iroh, the Grand Lotus, they led the group to the White Lotus camp to find Iroh. When they arrived, though, Zuko couldn't bring himself to enter Iroh's tent.

Rayna looked over and saw him sitting in front of the tent. "Morro, I'll be back," she said as she walked away. Although Morro wanted to stop her, he knew that Rayna was determined to comfort Zuko so there was nothing he could say or do to convince her to stay. Instead, he sat back and observed Zuko and Rayna's interaction.

Rayna sat down next to Zuko and gently held his hand, "Are you okay?" she asked.

Zuko lowered his head, "No, I'm not okay. My uncle hates me, I know it. He loved and supported me in every way he could, and I still turned against him. How can I even face him?"

"Zuko," Rayna said gently, "You're sorry for what you did, right?"

Zuko looked her in the eyes and nodded, "Sorrier than I've been about anything in my entire life,"

Rayna smiled sweetly, "Then he'll forgive you. He will,"

Once Zuko went into the tent, Rayna walked back towards Morro. He leaned against a rock wall with a proud smile on his face. "What are you smiling about?" Rayna asked curiously as she leaned next to him.

"You remind me so much of your mother. She too had a healing soul," he responded.

"What do you mean? I was just comforting him,"

"True, you were comforting him. But it's more how you comforted him," he explained, "He was so unsure and scared of facing his uncle, but, the moment you walked over and reached out to him, his body and mind was immediately calmed and soothed," he smiled, "Perhaps I've misjudged your relationship with him,"

"I'm guessing Aram told you about him?"

Morro chuckled, "The moment we asked about you, he immediately told us about Zuko. We didn't believe him at first, but he kept insisting that Zuko would lead you to a life of lies and a heart full of pain and sorrow. The moment I saw the burn mark on your shoulder, I realized that Aram wasn't lying about Zuko hurting you. That's why I was so cold towards him. But seeing you two together just now, I feel that you will be safe in his hands," he smiled.

Rayna rolled her eyes, "I'm safe in my own hands, thank you very much. Just because I'm dating him doesn't mean he has any power or control over me. The only person in control of me is me,"

"You truly are your mother's daughter," he smiled. Soon, though, his smile turned into a serious expression, "Rayna, I know when something is troubling you. You can try to hide it all you want, but I know when your mind is flooded with worries,"

Rayna sighed, "Guess I never could hide anything from you,"

"You might as well tell me what's wrong, child. I'd never permit you to enter battle with a cluttered mind; what kind of master would I be if I did that?"

Rayna sighed again, "It's hard to explain. The short version is that I'm not sure if I can fulfill my destiny as a warrior,"

"I see. I assume that this must do with the fate of the Fire Lord?" he asked. Rayna nodded in response. "But that's not what your worried about, is it? You're worried that you might have to take someone's life during battle, correct?"

Rayna nodded, "You once told me that it takes away your life when you take someone else's life. You also taught me that Ying and Yang exists within everyone; no one is inherently good or evil,"

"It's good to know that you've listened to your master's words of wisdom," he said, "But, Rayna. You are projecting your own worries onto Aang's destiny. I assume that you've been worrying about the Fire Lord's fate for a few days now, even though it is not your destiny to face him and defeat him. Although I'm disappointed with your misplaced judgment, I understand why you are scared. As a young man, I would've never imagined that one day I would be fighting for my life as well as my village's. The idea that I would face the decision to either kill someone or spare them terrified me,"

He continued, "However, a long time ago, I read something that stated 'True courage is about knowing not when to take a life, but when to spare one,'. In the worst-case scenarios, you will need to take someone's life; unfortunately, that is a part of war. And yes, taking someone's life will haunt you for the rest of yours. But you are smart enough to put aside your personal feelings and do what needs to be done," he sighed, "I understand that I am contradicting what I've told you before, but I'm an old man with many different experiences. I can't always offer the best judgement calls if they are based solely on my experiences. Then again, I told you long ago that I wasn't always right rather I had more experience being wrong,"

"But remember," he said, "You are the one who forges your path; only you can make your decisions. Just as you said earlier, the only person in control of you is you. Take what I say with a grain of rice, and know that you and I will never share the same life experiences,"

Rayna nodded her head, "You're right. I didn't want to deal with the idea of deciding someone's fate, so I turned my problem into Aang's problem. Frankly, I have no business worrying about or trying to decide Aang's fate and neither does everyone else. We should only be worried about what happens in the aftermath of either his victory or defeat,"

Morro smiled, "You are a teenager, yet you are wise beyond your years," he said as he patted her head. "But, there is another thing worrying you, is there not?"

Rayna chuckled, "Perceptive as ever, I see. Do I even need to tell you, or have you already figured it out?"

"I've figured it out," Morro admitted, "But I would like to hear it from you,"

Rayna sighed, "I'm not…ready. I'm not ready to lose more people to this war. I've already lost mom and dad, and I lost Aram once before. Mom and dad…they died protecting me. And Aram…he was captured protecting me. I already have so many scars, I don't know if I can live with anymore," she admitted, "Off topic, but where are Aram, Zed, Loch, and Sabre?"

"Not too long after you left, Zed had been recruited by and joined the Earth Kingdom military. Also, Saber traveled to the North Pole to join their army. By the time we met up with Aram, only Loch and I remained, and I had already been summoned by the Grand Lotus to come to Ba Sing Sae. Last I heard, Aram and Loch were tracking down and helping war prisoners from Zai escape. In other words, they should be alright," he said,

"Rayna, I must be frank with you. Death will happen; it's inevitable in war. You may very well lose your friends, and you may very well lose your own life. Someone may die trying to protect you, or you may die trying to protect someone. I cannot give you any advice that would ease your worries in this case. I've always been an honest man, and I've never sugar coated anything for you, even when you were a little girl," he firmly stated, "All I can say is that the ones we love never leave us. They only die when we forget them. Whether it's you, I, or any other of your loved ones, we will die knowing that we fought for something we believed it. We were willing to sacrifice our lives in the battle for peace, and I think that's the greatest death anyone could ask for,"

Rather than verbally respond, Rayna started to softly weep. She knew Morro was right, but it didn't make it any easier. As she wept, Morro reached over and pulled her into an embrace. Sometimes the best thing to say was nothing at all and to let actions speak louder than words. He continued to comfort her for the next hour until she separated herself from his embrace.

"Thank you, Morro," Rayna said, "Thank you for always being there for me and knowing what I need to do to heal or succeed,"

"You're welcome, Rayna," Morro smiled.

"Oh, there's one more thing I have to tell you,"

"What is it?"

"I'm a waterbender,"

Morro paused and stared at Rayna for a bit, "Well I'll be damned," he started to laugh, "I can't believe that bastard was right! Looks like I owe him some money,"

Rayna tilted her head in confusion, "What bastard? What was he right about?"

"Oh it's nothing. Long ago, Zed, Loch, Saber, and I placed bets on if you'd be a bender. Later, we added what kind of bender we bet you'd be if you were a bender. Aram even got in on the action when we met up,"

"You guys placed bets on me?! Wait, is that why you taught me the basic bending moves? Because you weren't sure if I'd be a bender or not?"

"That's exactly why. Still, hard to believe that Saber won the bet. Zed and I bet that you wouldn't be a bender, Loch bet that you'd be an earthbender like your mother, Aram bet that you'd surprise us and be an airbender, and Saber bet that you'd be a waterbender like your father," he laughed, "I mean, a waterbender? You can't even swim! It's just too ironic,"

Rayna looked at him with an angered expression, before it softened into a small laugh, "Yeah, you're right. A waterbender who can't swim? Weird if you ask me," she smiled.


	26. Chasing Lightning

For the first time in a while, Rayna slept peacefully. After her conversation with Morro, a wave of exhaustion and drowsiness swept through her. She ended up falling asleep on Morro's shoulder. Despite the doom ahead, she slept as if she didn't have a care in the world.

She was eventually awakened by Morro when everyone was congregating around Iroh's tent. Iroh smiled at her when she walked over and gestured for her to sit down near him. As she sat down, she listened to the ensuing conversation. She didn't have anything to add to the conversation that would be useful, so she just sat quietly and completely focused her attention on Zuko's and Iroh's words.

From her understanding, Iroh was right. It wasn't right for him to battle Ozai; it would be seen it as just more senseless violence, and a jealous brother taking power that he deserves from his brother. Although they weren't sure if Aang would come back in time, there was no other option; only Aang could defeat Ozai. At the same time, Zuko deserved the throne. Sure, he wasn't perfect, far from. But he had unquestionable honor. Despite his mistakes, he was a hero with a pure-heart. That's one reason why she fell in love with him, after all. Even when they first met, she could sense what kind of heart he had, and knew he was someone who'd do great things.

"But Azula will be there, waiting for you," Iroh said to Zuko.

"I can handle Azula," Zuko replied. Once again, Rayna did feel slightly concerned but she knew she needed to have faith in him. What kind of girlfriend would she be if she didn't?

"Not alone! You'll need help," Iroh responded.

"You're right," Zuko said. He turned towards Katara, "Katara, how would you like to help me put Azula in her place?"

"It would be my pleasure," Katara responded.

"I don't think Katara should accompany you this time," Iroh said. Everyone looked at him slightly shocked, "Katara, you are a very powerful and wonderful waterbender. I do believe in your abilities. But, I feel it'd be more appropriate if Rayna went with Zuko,"

Rayna's eyes immediately went wide, "Wait, me?"

"Yes, miss Rayna, you," Iroh smiled

"Hold on," Rayna said nervously, "I mean, I appreciate that you believe in me but I can't go. I'm hardly a half-baked waterbender! I've only fought Azula twice, Katara has much more experience,"

"May I speak to you for a bit?" Iroh asked.

Rayna gulped, but nodded her head. Iroh soon pulled her away from the group into a tent. Rayna nervously sat down and looked at Iroh, who had a very serious expression on his face.

Suddenly, though, a smile sprawled across his face, "I did not realize you had become a waterbender," he said proudly, "Congratulations!"

Rayna's expression became confused, "Wait, you didn't know?"

"I didn't know until you told me a few moments ago,"

"But, wait, then why do you want me to go fight Azula with Zuko?"

Iroh reached over and put his hand on Rayna's shoulder, "I don't want you to go with Zuko because you're a good fighter. Do not get me wrong, you are likely the most powerful fighter and warrior I've ever met. Morro wouldn't stop praising you," he said. Rayna slightly blushed. "I want you to go because of your spirit,"

"What about my spirit?" she asked curiously.

"I knew long ago, when I first met you, that you were a healer,"

"I mean not really. Katara cut me to see if I could heal the scratch, but it didn't work,"

"Not that kind of healer. I meant you have healing spirit. You can make anyone feel better with as little as a touch. Your kindness and pure-heart are the exact things needed to defeat Azula,"

"I still don't really understand,"

"I cannot explain something about yourself to you. You need to realize it and use it. Trust me, once you and Zuko arrive, you will discover what I mean,"

"Are you sure Zuko even wants me to go? He picked Katara after all…,"

Iroh chuckled, "I can see that you are the jealous type,"

Rayna blushed, "Maybe,"

"Rayna, I can tell that my nephew deeply cares for you. It's likely he chose Katara because he was worried you'd get hurt if you joined him,"

Again, Rayna blushed. The reason Zuko chose her instead of Katara sounded like what she worried about. She was worried that Zuko would get hurt if he fought Azula, and Zuko was worried that she would get hurt if she fought Azula. Rayna chuckled to herself upon realization that she and Zuko were worried about the same things.

"So, will you please join Zuko for this battle?"

"If he will let me, then it would be my pleasure to accompany him," she smiled.

Iroh suddenly reached out and embraced Rayna, "Thank you, miss Rayna,"

Although shocked by the sudden embrace, Rayna smiled gently and hugged Iroh back, "You're welcome"

"You know, you'd make an excellent Fire Lady," Iroh winked as he pulled her out of the embrace. Rayna's face turned a million shades of red upon hearing his comment. She was too baffled and embarrassed to respond, so she simply stumbled out of the tent.

"Well? What did my uncle say?" Zuko asked.

"Um…well…he wants me to go with you I guess," Rayna responded shyly.

Zuko hesitated, "Did you agree with him?"

Rayna sighed, "Kind of…yes…,"

Before Zuko could respond, Katara walked over and patted Rayna on the shoulder, "You should definitely go. You're perfect for this. I'll go stop the airship fleet with the others," she smiled.

"Are you sure?" Rayna asked.

"Are you positive that this is a good idea?" Zuko demanded.

"Yes," Katara responded, "Besides, Azula doesn't know you're a waterbender. So, you can surprise her," she winked.

"But I don't know what I'm doing," Rayna responded.

"Sure you do. I was your teacher after all, so obviously, you've mastered waterbending," Katara smiled, "But seriously, don't doubt yourself. You're a lot better than you give yourself credit for. You're a natural, Rayna. Embrace it," she then handed Rayna one of her water pouches, "You might need this, just in case,"

Rayna paused, then gently nodded her head. Katara immediately hugged her tightly. Soon, everyone congregated into an enormous group hug. Rayna calmed down as she felt all the affection from her peers and loved ones. "I love you guys," she gently whispered.

After the group hug dissolved, Rayna and Zuko walked towards Iroh. Rayna reached out and hugged him again, saying goodbye. She then turned and saw Morro standing behind her.

"Come here, you little punk," he joked. Rayna immediately ran into his embrace. "Be careful, okay?" he said, "I don't want to hear any nonsense about you losing,"

Rayna gently smiled, "Yes, sir. Same goes for you,"

Morro chuckled, "I'll do my best," he smiled.

After Morro and Rayna said their final goodbyes, Rayna walked over towards Appa to prepare to leave. Before Zuko could head over though, Morro firmly gripped his soldier.

"I expect you to keep my Rayna safe. She may not be biologically related to me, but I still consider her to be my daughter. You will do everything to protect her, correct?" he said as he glared at Zuko.

Zuko gulped, "Of course I will, sir,"

Morro's serious and angry expression then turned into a smile, "Glad we had this chat, boy,"

Zuko nervously walked away after Morro released his grip. By the time he got to Appa, Rayna was already prepared to leave. After saying one final goodbye to everyone, he and Rayna boarded Appa and flew away.

The first part was in silence. Zuko didn't know what to say to Rayna, and Rayna figured that Zuko didn't want to talk with her. She was worried about him, but she couldn't find the courage to say anything.

Zuko finally broke the silence, "Mind if I join you up there?"

"Um, sure," Rayna responded.

Zuko slowly walked over and plopped right down next to Rayna. Again, silence. Rayna could feel Zuko staring at her, and she felt incredibly uncomfortable. She turned her head to ask him what was wrong, but paused when she saw his anxious worried expression.

Rayna took one of her hands of the rein, and gently grabbed his hand. "Zuko, don't worry. I know you can take Azula," she said.

"It's not her I'm worried about. I'm worried about Aang. What if he doesn't have the guts to take out my father? What if he loses?" Zuko replied.

"I know it's blind faith, but Aang will come back and he won't lose," she said. She slightly lowered her head, "He has to."

Once again, another pause of silence. Rayna kept holding onto Zuko's hand, hoping she could figure out what Iroh meant about her healing spirit. He said that all she had to do was touch someone and they'd feel better, but she wasn't sure if it was working.

"Rayna?" Zuko asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes?" Rayna responded.

He paused, "I…want to protect you," he said, "Do you want…to be…protected by me?"

"No," she immediately responded.

Zuko looked at her in shock, "Why not?"

"It's simple. I want to fight alongside you," she said, "It's no good to depend on others unless I can be depended on too,"

Although he wanted to rebuttal, he saw her point. He did want to protect her, though. He'd never forgive himself if he let something happen to her. He depended on her, and felt that he needed her in his life. He loved her, more than anything. He hoped that she felt the same.

The remainder of the ride was in silence. Zuko had snuggled up to Rayna and rested on her shoulder. He relaxed as he felt her warmth envelop him. He wondered how and why she could make him feel better with just a touch. He hoped that one day he could do the same for her.

Once they could see the Fire Nation capital, they sped on ahead until they reached Azula. As Rayna looked over towards Azula, she felt worried. She wasn't worried about the battle; she was worried about Azula. She couldn't describe it, but something seemed wrong with Azula.

"Sorry, but you're not gonna become Fire Lord today. I am," Zuko said as he jumped off Appa and approached Azula.

Azula laughed, "You're hilarious." Even listening to Azula's voice, Rayna knew that something was troubling Azula, and her worry for Azula only grew stronger.

"Why look at that, I see that you even brought the peasant girl," Azula laughed, "You honestly think that bringing that piece of nothing will help you!"

Zuko immediately went to shout at her, but Rayna held him back. "Don't," she said gently.

"You want to be Fire Lord? Fine. Let's settle this. Just you and me, brother. The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!" Azula said.

Zuko's gaze turned seriously, "You're on,"

Rayna immediately turned to face Zuko, "What are you doing? You know that she's playing with you! It's obvious that she's trying to separate us," she said concerned.

"I know," Zuko said softly, "But I can take her this time,"

"Remember what uncle Iroh said," Rayna responded firmly.

"There's something off about her; I can't explain it but she's slipping. And this way, no one else will get hurt," he responded.

"But—,"

"Please, Rayna. I can do this,"

Rayna wanted to stop him, but instead she slowly nodded her head and kissed him on the cheek before backing away. She wanted to help and fight alongside him, but all she could do was sit and helplessly watch on the side. Sure, something was off about Azula, but that didn't mean she was any less powerful.

As the fighting began, Rayna clutched her chest. She needed to intervene, she needed to help, but she couldn't. Zuko was doing well, but Azula was doing equally as well. She kept noticing, however, that Azula was glancing towards her. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it or not, but either way it couldn't be good.

Suddenly, Azula fell and rolled forward on the ground. Rayna's could feel Azula's pain, but she wasn't sure if it was the pain from her fall or the psychological pain. Seeing Azula hunched over with her undone hair and furious aura, Rayna's concern only grew deeper.

"No lightning today? What's the matter? Afraid I'll redirect it?" Zuko said angrily

"Oh, I'll show you lightning!" Azula angrily responded. Azula then waved and moved her fingertips to generate the lightning. But once again, something was off. Long ago, Loch had taught Rayna the form for lightning generation. Rayna knew what the stance should look like, and she could tell that Azula's was irregular and off. Suddenly, Rayna realized something. Azula wasn't going to shoot lightning at Zuko, she was going to shoot lightning at Rayna.

"No," Rayna muttered to herself, "No," she said again. Suddenly, she immediately opened the water pouch and sprinted towards Azula, "NO!" she screamed as she swiftly knocked Azula down to the ground.

"Rayna!" Zuko shouted at her, "What are you doing!?"

Rayna didn't respond, she kept kicking and punching Azula. Rayna's facial expression was completely furious and she had tears streaming down her face. She finally waterbended and started using her water whip against Azula.

Azula, however, was laughing as Rayna attacked her. "I see, the piece of nothing is actually a waterbender," she cackled, "What, was that your big surprise?!"

Rayna remained silent and kept attacking her with everything she had. She was so close to Azula, Zuko had no space to get in and stop her. Zuko had never seen Rayna fight like this. She struck first, which she never did, and her calm and strategic mindset vanished, instead she was attacking like a maniac. Although he kept shouting out for her to stop, Rayna ignored him and kept fighting.

"How dare you!" she said to Azula, "You were going to shoot that lightning at me, because you knew that Zuko would run in front of me and protect me,"

"Well, duh," Azula responded.

"Well too bad! I refuse to let anyone die protecting me, and I refuse to let you hurt Zuko," Rayna cried

Azula smirked, "Fine," she said, "Then I'll just hurt you instead!"

Suddenly, Azula lunged straight for and slammed into Rayna, making her stumble backwards. As Rayna was trying to regain her stance, a wave of lightning flashed before her eyes.


	27. Azula

All at once, everything stopped. The flash of lightning from Azula's fingers pierced Rayna's abdomen. Rayna's eyes and mouth remained open, full of shock and disbelief. Everything began to fade as she felt the lightning strike right through her body. Zuko looked on in horror as he watched Azula's lightning slowly kill Rayna. Azula's eyes, full of pain and fear yet masked by madness and craze, stared straight into Rayna's eyes, and her mouth twisted into a smile.

Rayna fell to the ground and rolled backwards. She couldn't move. All her strength had left her, and pain consumed her body. She was too weak to even keep herself awake. The last thing she heard was Zuko's scream, the last thing she saw was him running towards her, and then everything went black.

Zuko ran towards Rayna. It couldn't be true; she couldn't be dead; she had to be okay. But when he got to her, it was too late. She wasn't moving, her body was completely still and lifeless. Tears began flooding down Zuko's face. He couldn't protect her, he let her get hurt, he let her die.

Before he could reach down and hold her, Azula launched a fire blast towards them. Zuko then looked up and saw Azula on the roof.

"Oh no. The poor, filthy, peasant," she giggled, "Too bad you're other waterbender isn't here to heal her, looks like the little nothing won't make it!" she said, "Hey nothing, you don't look too good," she taunted.

Azula then shot another fire blast towards Zuko, which he dodged. He had to get away from Rayna, otherwise Azula's shots might hit her. But as Zuko was about the strike back, he noticed that Azula wasn't on the roof. Suddenly Azula snuck up behind him and attacked, which he also dodged.

Azula kept attacking Zuko, and he kept dodging. "What's the matter, Zuzu? Afraid to fight me?!" she taunted.

Zuko furiously roared a breath of fire towards her in response. She quickly dodged it and shot another fire blast towards him. They kept going back and forth, attacking and dodging.

While they attacked and dodged each other, Rayna was still out cold. She was still, just barely, breathing, but her spirit was preparing to leave her body. Just as her spirit was about to leave, however, a glowing light appeared over her wound. As the glowing light flowed over her wound, Rayna's spirit returned to her body. Soon, her breath grew and became more regular. Her eyes started to slightly open.

When her eyes opened, she looked up and saw a familiar, blue, transparent figure standing over her. She was still too weak to call out their name. The figure's hand was on her abdomen, producing the glowing light that was bringing her back to life. The figure eventually took their hand away and looked towards her with a smile on their face.

"Dad…?" Rayna whispered weakly. The figure nodded their head and put their hand on Rayna's cheek.

"Be strong, my little Rainy," Kai's spirit gently said. Rayna tried to reach out for him, but he soon disappeared into the void.

Tears streamed down Rayna's face. She wasn't sure if she was delusional or not, but either way her father's spirit had healed her and saved her from death. Even in the afterlife, he was still protecting her from harm.

She was still weak and in extreme pain, but she had enough left in her for one more fight. She slowly turned her head towards Azula and Zuko. Apparently, they hadn't noticed that she was awake. More importantly, Zuko was losing. Neither Zuko nor Azula were fighting well, but Zuko was still losing. Azula had successfully separated her and Zuko, and she had weakened Zuko by attacking Rayna.

Rayna slowly inched herself away into a corner, where she'd be out of sight. There she managed to force herself to stand up. It hurt, everything hurt, but she couldn't give up now. Her only hope of helping Zuko was using a sneak attack against Azula. She didn't want to waterbend, this time she was going to fight the way she knew how.

She was too weak to physically defeat Azula, she needed to trap or confine her somehow. Rayna looked towards a grate and saw chains hanging above from a wall. If she could get Azula near that grate, she could chain her up. She could wait for Azula to land on the grate, but it was possible that Azula would never voluntarily land on the grate. Rayna had to surprise Azula and drag her towards the grate.

Rayna slowly inched towards the hanging chains, making sure that neither Azula nor Zuko spotted her. If Zuko spotted her, he'd likely point her out and ruin the plan. She needed to be completely invisible for the time being. The more she moved though, the worse the pain got. She kept trying to block it out, but it only got worse. If it was her father that healed her and saved her from death, he only healed her enough to keep her alive for one more fight. She wasn't sure if she'd died after this last attack, but if she did, at least she'd die a hero's death.

She finally reached the chains and grabbed them. She hid behind a wall, waiting for Azula to be close enough to her. Unfortunately, Azula was bouncing all over the place. Rayna had to be quick when Azula landed near her, even though quick wasn't exactly in her vocabulary in that moment.

Meanwhile, Azula kept moving all around the area. Zuko could barely keep up with her, he was getting tired. But he couldn't stop fighting, if he did then he was surrendering to Azula. He couldn't let his nation down, and refused to let Rayna's (supposed) death be in vain.

Azula got up close to Zuko and smacked him across the face, "Face it, brother, you cannot defeat me. I am the Firelord, I am your superior, you will bow down to me brother!"

Suddenly, something jumped on Azula and pulled her backwards. Zuko looked up and saw Rayna pulling Azula back. His eyes grew wide with shock and relief; Rayna was alive. Not only was she alive, but she was also fighting.

Soon, when Azula was on the grate, Rayna headbutted the back of her neck— temporarily rendering her immobile. Rayna tied Azula's hands to the grate, and then bound and chained them together, tightening the chains as tight as possible.

Azula was defeated.

Rayna slowly pulled herself up and gimped towards Zuko, clutching her abdomen. As she was walking though, she tripped and collapsed onto the ground. Zuko quickly ran over to her and lifted her up.

"You're okay," Zuko said with tears forming in his eyes.

"More or less," Rayna weakly smirked.

Zuko tightly held Rayna, "I thought you were dead,"

Rayna chuckled half-heartedly, "Takes a lot more than that to kill me,"

Zuko reached down to kiss Rayna, until he heard a scream. Both looked over, and Azula panted in anger and screamed in madness while attempting to break free. Azula soon stopped and began crying uncontrollably. Rayna felt her heart sink as she looked towards Azula in horror.

Rayna then pushed herself away from Zuko and slowly gimped towards Azula. "Rayna, stop," Zuko called out, but Rayna ignored him and kept walking forward.

"No!" Azula yelled, "Stay away from me!"

"Don't be scared," Rayna said softly, "It's all right,"

"STAY AWAY!" Azula yelled. She screamed a breath of fire towards Rayna, which grazed against her shoulder.

Rayna, however, continued to gimp over to Azula. She stopped when she was right in front of her, "It's…alright…," she said calmly, despite being in terrible pain, "I promise" she said as she soon fell onto Azula. She slowly but surely wrapped her arms around Azula.

Azula stopped crying and froze as she felt Rayna's arms wrap around her. It felt as if a warm, soothing wavelength was flowing through her body. She was confused, terrified, and panicky, yet a small warm light was within her.

"What…what are you doing?" Azula asked nervously, "I tried to kill you,"

"I know," Rayna responded gently, "And I won't lie, it really hurts. But seeing you crying like this hurts more,"

"I don't understand," Azula replied, "Why would you feel that way? I'm a monster,"

"Azula, I may not know you very well. After all, I've only seen you three times and I've never been properly introduced. Despite that, I know that you have never been and you never will be a monster," Rayna said, "You believe that fear is greater than love, right? You're right, having people fear you is easier than trying make people love you. But, at what cost? You must be so lonely. For that, I'm sorry,"

"Why are you apologizing?" Azula asked confusedly.

"Because I can never hope to understand how much pain and sadness you feel right now," Rayna responded. She hugged Azula tighter, "In times like these, you need to remember all the good things about you. Whenever you battled me, you always battled with confidence. You may have been born a prodigy but you still worked as hard as possible to achieve what you want, which is extremely admirable. Azula, you're an amazing girl, and I'm sorry that people didn't give you the admiration you deserved,"

"How can you praise me? I've done horrible things," Azula asked.

"I believe that no one is inherently good or evil; there is good and bad in everyone. You keep focusing on the bad things about yourself, which isn't healthy. You did horrible things, but so did I. Long time ago, when I was a worthless and starving, I used to attack and steal from people. It didn't matter who it was, it only mattered if they were more fortunate than me. I even tortured people into giving me more food and other supplies. I did all these horrible things, but I had the support and love of my guardians to help me get better. You didn't have that love and support, which is horrible. No one should live without love,"

Rayna suddenly pulled herself off Azula and smiled at her, "Azula, would you like to be friends?" she said sweetly.

More tears began falling down Azula's face, "You…you can't be serious. You actually want to be friends with me?"

Rayna gently nodded her head and smiled, "I want to get to know you better. I think we can…," Rayna started to wince in pain, "We can…," she winced again and clutched onto her abdomen, "Be…,"

Suddenly Rayna fell unconscious and collapsed before Azula. She'd used the remainder of her strength to comfort Azula, and now she was once again too weak to stand. Azula still sat in shock with tears running down her face.

Zuko immediately ran over and picked up Rayna. He walked away, holding her like a princess, towards Appa. He gently laid her down on Appa's tail, "Come on, Ray," he whispered, "You have to get up,"

He leaned down and kissed Rayna, but she didn't move. She was once again motionless and lifeless, but she was still breathing and had a pulse. Zuko knew this, yet he started to cry and hold her close to him, "Please, please, Rayna. You have to be okay," he cried, "You have to be okay,"


	28. Please Wake Up

It'd been a month since the final battle during Sozin's Comet. Aang had defeated Ozai and taken away his bending, Azula had been defeated and put into a mental asylum, and Zuko was preparing to take his rightful place as Firelord. But everything wasn't fine.

After collapsing following her conversation with Azula, Rayna had been unconscious for over a month. She was alive, but she was badly injured. She was under care of the servants at the Firelord's palace, and she was being routinely healed by Katara. Even though her wound appeared to be healing, she still didn't wake up.

Zuko couldn't stop worrying about Rayna. Although Katara assured him that Rayna would be alright, he was still worried. To top it off, Aram, Morro, and the others were all staying at the palace until Rayna woke up. Aram was furious with Zuko, but Morro attempted to keep a level head around Zuko and the others so they would remain calm. He almost fooled everyone into thinking he was alright, but Zuko knew the truth after he saw Morro crying over Rayna while holding her hand.

Zuko almost never left Rayna's side; day and night, he would be next to her, holding her hand, praying for her to wake up so he could see her smile again. Sometimes he'd even talk to her, like tell her about his day and how much he missed and needed her. It was hard seeing her like this. He was so used to seeing her up and about in the past that he even caught himself daydreaming about seeing her awake. On the other hand, he would occasionally have nightmares that she never woke up or that she woke up and didn't remember him. All these thoughts were taking a toll on him.

There was also the question of what would happen once Rayna woke up. Team Avatar was already starting to go their separate ways as is, so what would happen to Rayna? Aram claimed that once Rayna woke up, he was taking her far away from Zuko. Zed, Loch, and Saber claimed that they would resume their roles as Rayna's "legal" guardians and continue to travel with her like they did in the past. Morro hadn't said anything, but it seemed that he wanted Rayna to stay with him. Zuko, however, wanted Rayna to stay with him. He knew he wasn't her family, that he was just her boyfriend, but he still wanted her to stay with him. In the end, though, only Rayna could choose who she would be with.

Another thing that was troubling people was how Rayna survived. Any normal person would have instantly died from a lightning attack like that, yet somehow Rayna had not only survived but also got up for one last fight. Katara claimed that there was evidence of previous healing on her wound, but that made no sense since Rayna wouldn't have been powerful enough to heal herself in that situation nor were her healing abilities that advanced. It obviously wasn't something that people should be that concerned with; it was mostly just curiosity. Although many people had theories about what happened, no one could truly explain the phenomenon.

Another week passed and Rayna still wasn't awake. Zuko tried to postpone his coronation long enough so that Rayna would be awake for it. However, he could no longer delay and simply had to do the coronation. Zuko wasn't the only one disappointed though; the rest of the gang also wanted her to be there for the coronation. Zuko's coronation symbolized a reign of peace and tolerance as well as a new hope for the rest of the world, something very important to Rayna.

Before his coronation began, though, he walked back to Rayna's room. He hoped that maybe she'd miraculously be awake during her healing session with Katara. By the time he arrived to her room, Katara had just finished healing Rayna and she was placing new bandages on her. Zuko slowly walked over towards Katara and Rayna.

"How is she?" he asked Katara anxiously.

"Her wound is healing," Katara said, "But she's still not awake," she sighed.

Zuko looked down disappointedly, "Oh,"

Katara paused, "I'm sorry," she said, "I'm doing the best I can,"

"I know you are,"

"I even had spirit water from the North Pole brought over here, but even that isn't waking her up," she said sadly, "Maybe I should ask for some more healers to come help me,"

"No, it's okay. Besides, I think Rayna is only comfortable with you healing her," he sighed, "And don't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault she got her,"

Katara looked over at him, "It's not your fault either,"

Zuko didn't respond, he just looked away. He knew it wasn't his fault, but at the same time he felt entirely responsible. He didn't know what made Rayna suddenly attack Azula, but he should've tried harder to stop her and save her. But he didn't. He let Azula strike Rayna. Worst of all, he couldn't do anything to help her. Rayna forced herself to get up, despite the unbearable pain she felt, and finished the fight for him, even though it was his responsibility and duty to defeat Azula.

While Katara did want to make sure Zuko wasn't blaming himself, she knew that she should just leave him. She and everyone else had tried to convince him that it wasn't his fault, but he never listened. The only person who supposedly believed it was Zuko's fault was Aram, but he was probably lying. Everyone knew that Rayna would rather die than she the ones she loves die, so that was likely her motivation for attacking Azula and forcing herself to get up for one last fight. Aram was likely upset that Rayna would allow herself to get hurt in place of another person, so he was taking his anger out on Zuko.

Katara finished bandaging Rayna and began to walk away, "Are you coming?" she asked Zuko

Zuko gently shook his head, "I'll be there soon, I promise. I just need a few moments alone with her,"

Katara nodded her head and left the room. Once she was gone, Zuko pulled up a chair and sat down next to Rayna. He reached his hand out and gently pushed her hair out of her face.

"Hey Rayna. I know it's dumb for me to keep talking to you because you can't hear me, yet I do it anyways. Pathetic, huh?" he said, "I guess it's because I can't stop thinking about you, and I can't stop hoping that you'll be awake or will wake up every time I do this," he felt a tear roll down his cheek, "I just really miss you," he tried to stop himself from crying, "I don't think I ever told you how important you are to me. When I was in Ba Sing Sae, before I met you, I was miserable. I hated everything about that place, and thought the only thing that would make me happy was reclaiming my honor. But then I met you. You were warm and affection. You made me smile and laugh, even when I didn't want to. And I know I tell everyone that I'm never happy, but the truth is that I am happy when I'm with you.

If you could hear me, you'd probably laugh and tell me that I'm cheesy, and you wouldn't be wrong. I just can't stop myself from rambling when I'm with you," he paused, "I love you, Rayna. I love how headstrong you are, I love how embarrassed you get around me, I love how hard you work to prove to not only others but also yourself that you are just as powerful as any bender, I love how you believe that there is good and bad in everyone, I love how you stand up for what you believe in regardless of others opinions, I love how caring you are towards others, I love your soft hair, I love your flawless and beautiful moonlight pale skin, I love your kind ice grey eyes, I love that you proudly wear your scars, but most importantly I love you for being you,"

Zuko began to gently weep, "Just promise me that you'll wake up soon. I feel like the longer I go without hearing your voice and seeing your smile, the sadder I get. I know I'm being selfish, but I honestly need you right now. The fact that you can't be here for my coronation…I just can't handle it. I know I must do it, and I know I've delayed it for too long already. But I really want you to be there, supporting me,"

He wiped the tears away from his face, "I'm sorry for being selfish," he paused, "Is it okay for me to believe that you'll be there in spirit? Even if it's not true, it will help me,". He leaned in and kissed her forehead, "I love you," he gently whispered before he walked away.

As he exited the room, he saw Morro was standing outside the door. Morro had a gentle smile on his face. "Even though I threatened you when we first met, seeing how much you care about Rayna and the length you've gone to keep her alive…well, perhaps I misjudged you," he said, "The only reason I was so harsh on you was because I care about Rayna," he paused, "Believe it or not, I had a daughter once. Her name was Maia. I also had a wife, who I'd been with since I was a teenager. When Maia found out she was pregnant and told me I was going to be a grandfather, I was the happiest man alive," he smiled, "They were the lights of my life, and both were overwhelmingly precious to me,"

But then he sighed, "Maia was still pregnant when the raid occurred. I…I lost her, my wife, and my grandchild during the raid. I had no family left. Everything that'd ever been precious to me had vanished, and I thought I had no purpose nor reason to live," he said, "When I saved Rayna and took her in, she soon became like a daughter to me. And since I'd already lost one daughter, I vowed to protect Rayna at all costs and protect her from any harm," he continued, "That's why I was so harsh on you when we first met. Aram told us what happened between you and Rayna, and at first I didn't believe him. But when I saw her scar, I knew it was true. Then when I heard that she was dating you again, I guess I went into overprotective father mode,"

He then half-heartedly chuckled, "Sorry for rambling on about my past like an old man," he said, "I just wanted to thank you. I realize that I've never thanked you properly for all you've done for her since she got hurt. Seeing that reassures me that you're not a bad guy. Although I still struggle with accepting the fact that Rayna is grown up enough to have a boyfriend, I will do my best to support your relationship," he smiled. He then chuckled again, "Once again, I'm rambling. Geez, I really am getting old. Anyways, you have a coronation to attend. I'll leave you be,"

Before Morro could walk away, Zuko reached out to him, "Umm…thank you, sir," he said awkwardly, "It may not seem like it, but I appreciate what you just said,"

Morro smiled, and then ruffled his fingers through Zuko's hair, "You really are a good kid," he laughed.

Morro finally left for the Fire Nation Coronation Plaza, while Zuko met up with Aang inside the palace. Morro met up with Zed, Loch, Saber, and Aram. Meanwhile, the entire plaza had people from all over the world congregated for the coronation. Even though there were so many people, Zuko knew that one person was still missing. He may have been sad, but he knew that Rayna would want him to do it proudly and confidently and would be disappointed if he did otherwise.

Therefore, for Rayna's sake, he went through the coronation with his head held high. He was pleased and even proud of himself, despite knowing the challenging road ahead for his nation. All his friends cheered him on and hope filled their hearts as they looked at the new Firelord, and they knew that Rayna would feel the same.

After the coronation and confronting his father at the prison, Zuko returned to the palace. When he returned, however, one of the servants who was taking care of Rayna sprinted towards him in a panic. She begged him to stop and wait for a moment. She could barely breathe by the time she reached him.

Zuko looked at the servant, "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

She looked up at him, "Where on earth have you been? I've been searching for you all over the palace!". Before he could respond, she interrupted him, "Please, you must go,"

"Why?" he asked.

"It's miss Rayna," she said worriedly, "Something has happened to her,"

Zuko's eyes went wide with fear and shock, "What do you mean? What's happened?" he asked with concern.

"Please, just go to her room. I must find her guardians and her brother as well as your friends," she started to ran off, "It's imperative that you go now!"

Zuko immediately sprinted towards Rayna's room. His heart was racing like crazy, and he was in a blind panic. What had happened to Rayna? Was she okay? Was she dead? He couldn't stop worrying about what had happened, or what had gone wrong.

He reached her room, and slammed open her door. He panickily called out her name, and ran towards her bed only to see that she wasn't there. He ran around the room trying to find her, but she was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, he heard the door creak behind him. He turned around and saw a figure leaning against the door.


	29. All Was Well

"Zuko?" a confused voice said to Zuko.

Zuko paused, still having a hard time recognizing the figure in his blind panic. But suddenly, as the figure got closer, he noticed thick, medium length black hair, moonlit-like porcelain skin, and big ice gray eyes.

"Rayna? …Rayna!" he cried out as he ran towards her.

She, however, immediately punched Zuko straight in the face. The power of her punch pushed him backwards and made him fall onto the ground. He looked at her with confusion, and slight annoyance.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

"For being a complete, utter idiot," she responded sternly. She then reached over to punch him again, but clutched her abdomen in pain. "I swear to you once I'm fully healed, I'm going to beat the living shit out of you,"

He pulled himself off the ground and walked towards Rayna, "I thought you died, and then I thought you died again, and then you were out cold for over a month. I've been worrying about you and scared that you'd never wake up. Now here you are, and I was completely overjoyed and relieved to see you. And you punch me in the face?!"

"You deserve it," she said coldly.

"What did I—," he began.

"You accepted Azula's challenge to an Agni Kai, even though you knew it'd separate us which was the first thing your uncle told us not to do! You thought you could take her because she seemed off her game, like a rookie fighter. And then, like a moron, you challenge her to fire lightning?! What were you hoping to accomplish?" she shouted.

At first Zuko felt a wave of guilt fall over him, but then he became angry, "You were the one who randomly started attacking Azula with no strategy!"

"Because she was going to shoot lightning at me!"

"What are you talking about?!"

"If you had been paying attention like a real fire bending master, you would've noticed that her form was different and she was pointing her body towards me! She knew that if she fired the lightning at me, you would try to play hero and jump in front of me to save me. That's why I attacked her, to stop you from trying to save me,"

Zuko froze for a second, "You…you attacked her to protect me?"

"Of course! In case you forgot, you were supposed to be crowned the new Firelord. If she hurt you, even if we won, you wouldn't be able to take over the throne and then we'd have no choice but to let her rule the fire nation,"

"But…well…you don't…," Zuko was stumbling over his words. He wanted to deny that he'd try to protect her, but that would be a blatant lie. If Rayna was in trouble, he would've immediately jumped in front of her. He felt himself get frustrated and sighed, "You're right. I…I should've listened to you from the beginning,"

Without warning, Zuko reached out and wrapped his arms around Rayna, pulling her into a tight embrace. She didn't fight back, but she didn't respond right away. She was frustrated and angry at him, but she couldn't deny that she was happy to see him. She sighed, and then leaned her head into his chest.

Tears began to run down Zuko's cheek; the nostalgic warmth and healing comfort of her body filled him with happiness, but his thoughts filled him with frustration and sadness. He embraced Rayna even tighter and rested his head onto her shoulder.

Rayna felt little wet tears stain her shoulder. She tried to push herself away from Zuko's chest, but he only pulled himself even closer to her.

"Zuko?" she asked with slight confusion and worry.

"You…you always get hurt because of me. I can never protect you, I can never be your hero…you can't depend on me even though it's my job to protect and take care of you," he responded, "Damnit, Rayna, why can't you just let me protect you? Can't you rely on me? What do I have to do to make you trust me? Depend on me?"

Rayna remained silent. She didn't know how to respond; she felt bad that Zuko was so hurt, but she was also frustrated with him. He never listened to her; she told him not to fight Azula alone, but he didn't listen; she said she wanted to fight alongside him rather than be protected by him, but he didn't listen; he knew how traumatic it'd be for her to simply watch yet another person she cared about be harmed and/or killed, but he didn't listen. She also disliked his insistence on being her hero and protector. It made her feel like she was weak, and she never asked him to be her protector, if anything she didn't want him to be. She knew that he only did this because he loved her, but it still irritated her.

Then she remembered how when she got hurt, he screamed and ran over to her in a panic. Or when he slapped the men who were harassing her in the store back in Ba Sing Sae. Or when Combustion Man dropped her from the ledge, she heard Zuko cry out for her even though they weren't together. Or how he spent days searching for her when she ran away. Or when he saved her when she was drowning. She then remembered all those times that he was there for her and stayed by her side, even when she didn't want him to.

It was absurd for him to think that he never protected her. It was also absurd for him to think that he was never her hero. He didn't realize that all those times he worried about her, cried out for her, comforted her, cared for her, and reminded her that she deserved love and happiness were him being her hero and protecting her from harm. He had such a good heart, and she didn't understand how she was the one he chose to love. After all she'd done and how she'd treated him, she honestly didn't deserve him.

"You really are an idiot," she sighed, "I'm sorry for making you worry so much. I acted reckless back there…actually I always act pretty recklessly now that I think of it," she half-heartedly chuckled to herself, "And it's not that I don't trust you or think you're unreliable; I do trust you and I know I can rely on you, even if I don't act like it. It's just that, when you say that I need to let you protect me, it makes me feel weak and undependable. After what happened with my parents and my village, I have worked my butt off to make myself stronger and a better fighter. I told you before, it's no good to depend on others unless I can be depended on too.

"There's another thing too. When I realized that Azula was going to shoot lightning at me and that you were going to get hurt trying to protect me, I was terrified…I thought I'd lose yet another person that I care about. I'm not…I'm not strong enough," she said.

"What…what do you mean you're not strong enough?" Zuko asked confused, "You're probably the strongest person I know,"

"I don't mean physically strong," she paused, "I'm not strong enough to witness anyone else I care about die trying to protect me. If…if it happens again, I know I'm going to break. Even the thought of someone getting hurt because of me is hard to handle. I refuse to be the same helpless girl I was when I was 6 years old. That's why I attacked Azula…because I was scared and I panicked," she said, "You need to understand that. And if you can't…then maybe we shouldn't be together,"

"You'd break up with me because of that?"

"Yes. If you truly care about me, you won't make me go through that trauma again. If you truly care about me, you'll try and understand my feelings even if you don't completely agree with them," she looked up at Zuko and stared into his eyes, "If you can't do those things, then you're just going to hurt me," she said seriously.

Zuko paused. He didn't know how to respond. Obviously, he could never understand everything Rayna had endured and all the trauma that permanently scarred her. But, at the same time, he was worried that she'd get hurt if he didn't protect her. Like she said, she was reckless and she always placed others above herself in dangerous situations. However, he didn't want to lose her. Not again.

Rayna lowered her head and pushed herself away from Zuko, "I see," she mumbled as she started to walk away.

Without warning, Zuko then reached out and grabbed her arm. She turned around in shock, and saw that Zuko's head was lowered. "If you've got something to say, then look me in the eye and say it," she said

"I know you find it irritating when I insist on protecting you and keeping you safe, but you're so reckless and you always care more about others than yourself. That's the kind of behavior that can get you killed. But you just don't care. You think you're expendable…but you're not. Not to your family, not to Team Avatar, and not to me," he looked up at her, "I can never understand everything that's happened to you, I know that, but even so, that doesn't mean that it's less traumatic for me to lose someone I care about," he said almost angrily.

"And that's why I want us to depend on each other!" Rayna responded, "Neither of us can keep going and trying to play hero for the other person. For the sake of our relationship, I'm willing to work on my recklessness. I still want to care for others, but I'll be more careful in dangerous situations. I will try and try again until I take better care of myself. If I'm willing to do that, then you also need to be willing to put your pride aside and try to work together with me and trust me to make my decisions,"

"I—," Zuko started to protest, before sighing, "Okay. If you promise to take better care of yourself, I promise to trust your decisions and fight alongside you. Do we have a deal?" he said extending his hand.

For the first time in a long time, Rayna smiled. It'd been so long that Zuko almost didn't recognize her when she was smiling. He was taken back by how beautiful her smile was, and how much it made his heart soar. He couldn't help but smile back at her. He gently embraced her, and, once again for the first time in a long time, she returned his embrace. The feeling of having her arms wrapped around him, her sweet scent envelope him, and her body heat soothing him overwhelmed him; he thought his heart had burst out of his chest with happiness.

"I missed you so much," he whispered softly.

"I would say I missed you too, but I was unconscious," she said honestly

Zuko chuckled, "Fair enough,"

"The last thing I remember is talking to Azula—," her eyes suddenly went wide, "Wait! Where's Azula? What happened after I collapsed? Is she okay?" she asked worried.

He stared at her confused, "Why do you care?"

"Because I'm worried about her. You saw what happened to her. She was in so much pain, and she was so broken inside— it hurt me to see her like that. How could I not be worried?"

"But she hurt you!"

"You did too, and yet here we are,"

"But mine was an accident,"

"You did it purposefully. It's only an accident because you didn't realize it was me,"

"But…but…but she hurt you!"

"Do we need to go over this again?"

"But she…you were…I didn't…," he then sighed frustrated, "No, we don't. Ugh, why are you always right?"

"I'm not always right," she smirked, "I just am when I'm with you,"

Zuko smiled at her, "Yes, yes, I know. I'm an idiot,"

"A cute idiot," Rayna smiled back.

Zuko then gently cupped his hands on Rayna's cheeks, and slowly closed his eyes as he moved his lips to meet hers. The anticipation of the kiss was killing him; he'd never wanted to kiss her more badly in his life. He felt her hot breath touch his lips as he moved in to kiss her.

The door to the room then slammed open, surprising Zuko and Rayna and forcing them a part. Sokka suddenly ran into the room in a panic, sprinting right past Rayna and Zuko and instead going to Rayna's bed.

"Oh no, no, no. She's gone! She's escaped! How can she escape when she's practically dead?!" Sokka cried as he tossed the pillows and blankets off the bed. He then turned around and saw Zuko, "Zuko! Have you seen Rayna?! She's escaped...or…what if…IS SHE DEAD? DID THEY CARRY THE BODY AWAY?" he yelled straight into Zuko's face.

"Hey, dumbass, I'm right here," Rayna said to Sokka, peaking her head out from behind Zuko.

Comical tears of relief then ran down Sokka's face, "RAYNA!" he shouted as he ran towards her and hugged her and picked her off the ground.

"Ow! OW! That's hurts, you stupid idiot!" she yelled as she punched Sokka away from her, "I know you're happy to see me, but if you could please refrain from injuring me I'd appreciate it!"

"But…but…I missed you," Sokka said, giving Rayna a pouty face.

Her eyes narrowed, but then she sighed, "Fine. Come here," she said as she opened her arms wide.

In a flash, Sokka ran over and hugged Rayna again, but more carefully. Even though she hated that idiot, she was happy to see Sokka again— he was her best friend after all.

"Did you miss me?" Sokka asked.

"As if," Rayna chuckled.

The rest of team avatar appeared and ran to Rayna, all happy and relieved to see her awake. They tried to do a group hug, but it didn't work since it hurt Rayna's injury. Nonetheless, each of them hugged (or in Toph's case, lightly punch) her individually. After that, Zed, Loch, Saber, and Aram all appeared and they too ran over to Rayna.

As she was being smothered with affection, Rayna looked to the door way and noticed Morro leaning against the door. She then pushed herself away from everyone and walked over to him.

"Hi, Morro," she said.

"I'm disappointed in you, you know. I ordered you to be careful, and you disobeyed me," Morro said sternly.

She laughed, "Nice try, Morro,"

He then smiled and hugged her like a father hugging his daughter, "I missed you, you little punk," he said kindly.

"If I had known I was trapped in an unconscious state, I definitely would've missed you too," she responded.

Tears began to run down Morro's face as he hugged Rayna. Even though they weren't biologically related, he saw and treated her as if she were his own daughter. He'd already lost one daughter, and he definitely didn't want to lose another. He was just so happy to see her awake and alive.

"Come on, old man. Don't tell me your growing soft," Rayna joked

"Who you are calling old man, you teenage brat?" Morro responded

"Um, an old man?"

"Why you little—," Morro said as he started to give Rayna a noogie on her head. All Rayna did was laughed in response and try to push Morro away from her.

Soon her friends and family informed her on everything that had happened while she was unconscious; they'd won the war, Ozai's bending was taken away and he was imprisoned, Azula had been placed in a mental asylum, and Zuko had just been crowned Firelord. Although she seemed disappointed about Azula's circumstances, Rayna was relieved that everything seemed to be going well. She then talked with her friends and family for the rest of the day. And for those moments, everything was well.


	30. A Quick Update

Hello, everyone.

I am writing this to let you know that someone else has been logging into my account. I noticed when I saw that there was a review by me on the latest chapter and sending/replying to messages. I don't understand why anyone would do this. I apologize if any of you have been receiving messages from this unknown individual, and I am currently in the process of changing my settings to prevent this from happening again.

On another note, I apologize that I have not updated since May. There have been some circumstances preventing me from writing, and I should've let you know that the series would be on hiatus. Thank you for your patience and continuous support of the story. I am currently working on the next chapter and I hope to get it published in mid-November at the latest.

Thank you for understanding,

Sebastian's Devil Girl.


	31. The Turtle Duck Pond

It'd been a week since Rayna woke up, but she was still confined to the room because Katara insisted that she needed to take care of Rayna's wound for a little longer. Although Rayna was annoyed and wanted to leave just to spite Katara, she knew that she promised Zuko she'd take care of herself from now on as best as she could. Besides, it's not like she was lonely or anything. Everyone decided to stay in the Fire Nation capital until Rayna was fully healed, so they made sure to keep her company (almost to the point where Rayna wished she could be alone). At the same time, the gaang was going to Ba Sing Sae soon and they insisted that Rayna go with them, so they saw no point in leaving while she was still recovering.

On the other hand, it felt like people were spending so much time with her because they were worried they wouldn't see her again. After she woke up, and after being caught up on everything, Morro pulled her aside to tell her that she needed to think about what she wanted to do after she was fully healed. She could either stay with Zuko; go with Aang, Katara, and Sokka to aid in the relocation of Fire Nation colonials; or go back to Zai with Morro, Loch, Saber, Zed, and Aram. If she could have her way, she'd do all the above— but she knew that wasn't really a viable option.

Her instinct told her to go back to Zai with her family. She wanted Zai to be a safe haven for mixed families, families who'd lost their homes during the war, or even those trying to start anew— just like it used to be. Along with that, Zuko had promised to help with Zai's restoration by sending as many resources and aids as he could. On the other hand, she felt it was her duty to continue helping Aang in his effort to create a new era of peace and harmony, and if that meant aiding in the relocation of Fire Nation colonials, she'd do it. But then there was Zuko. It was more than just loving him and wanting to stay by his side, she also worried about him. She knew he'd be under a lot of pressure and would likely make just as many enemies as allies; she wanted to support and be there for him in the difficult times to come. She also knew that he heavily relied and depended on her, which therefore put a lot of pressure on her to stay with him. She was at a complete utter loss as to what she should do, and thinking about it only made her more anxious.

Meanwhile, Zuko was also anxious. Obviously, he was nervous about the whole firelord thing and working to overturn and fix everything the Fire Nation, and his father, had broken. At the same time, like every teenage boy, he was anxious about Rayna's decision. He knew that wanting Rayna to stay with him was unrealistic, but he was a teenager in love and he wanted him and Rayna to be together forever— no amount of reality checks could stop his feelings. On a similar note, he and Rayna hadn't had any alone time since she woke up. He wanted to sit and talk with her, but every time they tried to be alone, someone else would show up. He knew that everyone had the right to hang out with Rayna, but it was frustrating nonetheless. He and Rayna hadn't even kissed or snuggled or held hands since she woke up. It's not like it was forbidden to show affection around other people, but he knew it made Rayna uncomfortable. Besides, other people would likely ruin the atmosphere.

One day, after a long series of meetings, Zuko decided to walk to Rayna's room and hopefully get a chance to spend some time with her. But when he got to her room, she wasn't there. Zuko looked around but only saw one of the servants.

"Good evening, Firelord Zuko," the servant said pleasantly.

"Where's Rayna?" he responded.

"First of all, it's improper to respond that way," she scolded, "Secondly, the young lady is currently outside,"

"How did she get outside? Did she sneak out on her own?"

"No, Firelord, I was the one who told her to go outside,"

"But she is supposed to stay in!"

"If I may speak out of turn, it's unfair to keep that poor girl cooped up in this room. Although I do understand your overwhelming concern for her health and safety, she shouldn't be confined to her room like a prisoner. Besides, it's a beautiful day and some sunshine and fresh air will do her some good,"

Zuko paused, "Do you know where she is outside?"

"I believe she went to the Turtle Duck pond," she responded, "Perhaps you should join her. You yourself could use some sunshine and fresh air, and it's no secret that you care deeply for the young lady. Use this time wisely," she winked before leaving the room.

Zuko immediately proceeded to the pond. The servant was right, he needed to use this time wisely. It was perhaps the only chance of being alone with Rayna before going to Ba Sing Sae, and after Ba Sing Sae he may never see her again.

When he finally arrived, he looked over and saw, just as the servant had said, Rayna. She looked different, though. She looked calm and at peace, almost relieved. She was feeding the turtle ducks, and even conversing with them as if they were her friends. She then leaned her head back and close her eyes, letting the sun touch her delicate pale skin, and gently smiled. Zuko couldn't help but blush when he looked at her; she was so beautiful, both inside and out.

"Enjoying the sun?" he said as he began to walk towards her.

"Oh! Zuko, hi. I didn't see you there," she responded, "Here to enjoy the sun yourself?"

He chuckled, "I'm more here for you, but the sun is a nice benefit,"

"Well, good to know I'm more important than the sun," she said teasingly. She then patted the grass next to her, "Come on, sit down, help me feed these turtle ducks. I know you love to," she smiled.

"What do you mean?"

"On our first date, you said that you liked feeding turtle ducks, remember?"

Zuko blushed, "You remember that?"

"Of course. It's the first thing I thought about when I heard about the pond," she smiled, "Are you surprised?"

"A little, I guess. I'm more happy than surprised, though,"

"But I thought you were never happy," she said in a low voice with a large, exaggerated frown on her face, imitating Zuko.

"Ha ha, very funny," he responded.

Rayna giggled to herself, "Oh don't be so sensitive. You're the one who said it, not me,"

"Doesn't mean that I meant it!"

"Uh, yeah, it kind of does," she stuck her tongue out at him.

"No, it doesn't! I'm happy when I'm with you, aren't I?" he responded. Upon realizing what he said, both he and Rayna blushed and then nervously looked away from each other.

"I guess…it's been a while since we were alone with each other, huh?" Rayna said nervously.

"Yeah…well that's why I came here, so we could…be alone…," Zuko responded nervously.

Rayna immediately blushed, "Oh…uh…well…here we are then…,"

Dead silence. Even though Zuko wanted to be alone with her, he'd completely forgotten what he wanted to say or do. Well, obviously, he hadn't forgotten that he wanted to be affectionate with her, but he was too nervous to approach her. At the same time, Rayna hadn't really considered that it'd been so long since they were alone together. Now that she was thinking about it, she felt her heart race a million miles per hour.

"Ba Sing Sae is weird, huh?" Zuko said awkwardly.

Rayna raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"No, ugh, I meant that it'll be weird going back to Ba Sing Sae. You know…because we kind of dated there…," Zuko responded nervously.

"Oh, yeah. I guess I hadn't thought about that," Rayna sighed, "Things were so different back then. We were…different back then," she mumbled.

Zuko paused. "Do you remember that night when you and I got into an argument? It wasn't too long after I'd joined the group. You'd been avoiding me, and I got frustrated and forced you to talk with me. I think you slapped me,"

"Oh, yeah…that night," she responded awkwardly, "What about it?"

He sighed, "You…you said that Ba Sing Sae was a mistake. I think you said that we truly didn't love each other, or it wasn't a serious relationship, something like that. And then, when we made up, you told me that we should forget about Ba Sing Sae," he paused, "Do you…still think that?"

"I…," she sighed, "It's complicated, Zuko,"

"How so?"

"I've…disassociated myself from what happened in Ba Sing Sae. I don't know how to explain it. The memories were a source of pain, regret, and hatred for so long. The only way I could feel better was if I distanced myself from it…distance myself from you. I know things are different now, but I still stand by what I said to. I don't think it was a mistake, but I do think it was an ingenuine romance…an unfortunate one, in a sense. We lied about who we were. Looking back, I…well I wasn't in love with you. I liked you, but I didn't love you. Maybe it's because I knew I was lying to you, and by doing that I was also lying to myself," she paused, "Like I said, it's complicated," she paused again, "Are you mad?"

"…No, I'm not mad. I guess I can understand what you're saying, and it does make sense. It's just…well now that I think about it…I wasn't in love with you, instead I was in love with who I thought you were,"

"And who did you think I was?"

"I thought you were a strong person,"

"What do you mean?"

"I thought nothing could break you down. I thought you could handle any and every obstacle in your way. I guess…I thought you were always happy and that you had no worries. You were just so positive about everything and seemed to be in control of all your emotions. With everything that had happened to me, I was just angry and miserable all the time…I guess I couldn't conceptualize the idea that you had problems in your life," he sighed, "I don't know if that makes sense…probably doesn't. I'm just rambling at this point. I guess the author is improvising because even they don't know how to describe it,"

"Yeah, they do that sometimes," she paused, "Who do you think I am now?"

"You're not perfect; you're a person with real emotions, but that doesn't mean you're not strong. I used to place you on a pedestal and think you were some untouchable goddess. What I thought was strength was just a mask you wore to hide who you were and, more importantly, your emotions," he slightly smiled, "It's odd, but you've changed so much since Ba Sing Sae. Not in a bad way, in fact you're much better than you were before. I don't mean that insultingly though," he tried to explain.

Rayna slightly chuckled, "It's okay, I know what you're trying to say," she turned to him with a sweet smile, "Thank you, Zuko. You've also changed a lot since Ba Sing Sae; definitely for the better. And I…," she paused, and turned her head away, "…love you…," she mumbled, hoping Zuko wouldn't hear her.

Zuko slightly chuckled to himself, "I'm sorry, could you repeat that again? I think I heard you say you love me,"

Rayna's eyes grew wide and her whole face was red, "Well you heard wrong. I hate you," she said defensively. Zuko laughed in response. "D-don't laugh! I'm serious! I hate you!" she said, but Zuko kept laughing. "S-s-stop it!" she said angrily and raised her hand to punch him in the arm.

Before she could punch him though, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into an embrace. "I love you too," he whispered to her. Even though she wanted to protest out of embarrassment, she just sighed and rested her head on him.

Zuko gently grab Rayna's chin and pulled her face up towards his. She was blushing, and kept trying to avert her gaze from his out of embarrassment. He smiled and lightly stroked her cheek, "You're so cute when you're embarrassed," he said sweetly. This, of course, only made her blush more.

Zuko moved his hand away from her soft cheek, and then gently moved his finger across her lower lip. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her. The desire overwhelmed him, yet he was hesitant. In the past, he was always the one initiating the kiss. Part of him wished that she would initiate it, or at least that she'd give him a signal that it was okay for him to kiss her. He didn't want to force himself on her. He wanted to make sure that she wanted it.

Suddenly, Rayna grab Zuko's face and pushed her lips onto his. Her eyes were squeezed tight while his were wide open. He was happy, but he was mostly surprised. The kiss didn't last very long, and soon enough she pulled her lips away and let go of his face. She was so embarrassed that she looked angry, and she turned her face away. He was still in a state of shock, and trying to mentally process what had happened.

"Did…did you just…," Zuko started to say.

"You…you were taking too long!" Rayna responded, "Argh! Just forget—,"

In one swift, sudden movement, Zuko grabbed Rayna and pulled her into a passionate kiss. The feeling of her soft, gentle lips, and the nostalgic warmth that flowed through his body as he kissed her, made his mind go blank. There was nothing in his world but kissing her. He couldn't stop, and the kisses only got deeper. It soon was hard to breathe, but the feeling of her hot breaths only fueled his passion for her. All he could think about was her and how much he loved her.

"I missed you so much," he softly whispered into her mouth before once again planting his lips onto hers.

Rayna too felt herself get lost in Zuko's kisses. The sensation was strange and new. It's not as if she hadn't enjoyed kissing him in the past, but it felt different. It was more than missing his kisses, it felt as if she couldn't get enough and needed more. It scared her, yet she felt herself relax against him.

After what felt like an eternity, they stopped kissing. Both their faces were red. Instead of turning away like she usually did, Rayna leaned into Zuko's chest and snuggled into him. In response, Zuko warped his arms around her and gently kissed her forehead before leaning his head against hers. A peaceful silence surrounded them as they rested against each other.

"Hey, Ray?" Zuko asked.

"Hm?" Rayna responded.

"When we go to Ba Sing Sae, let's go on a date," he said.

She paused, "I don't know if we'll have time…,"

"Then we'll make time," he responded, "Please," he whispered.

"…okay," she responded softly.

"Promise?" he asked.

"…I promise," she said.


End file.
